PRINCETON,     N.     J. 


Wlc^jm/e/  A 


7' 


BV    4501    .L37    1896 

Lathe,    Herbert  W.    b.    1851 

Chosen   of   God 

Shelf. 


^JlCdJU44c-J  /^  /C^    a^^L<^M^^r, 


CHOSEN  OF  GOD. 


But  we  are  bonnd  to  give  thanks  alway  to  God  for 
you,  brethren  beloved  of  the  Lord,  because  God  hath  from 
the  beginning  chosen  you  to  salvation  through  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth. 

2Thess.  8:13, 


By  Rev.  HERBERT  W.  LATHE. 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY, 

CHICAGO.  NEW  YORK.  TORONTO. 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literattire. 


Copyrighted,  1896  by  FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 

The  object  of  this  book  is  to  lead  the  child  of 
God  into  the  richer  experiences  of  the  life  in 
Christ.  Many  Christians  make  little  progress 
after  conversion.  One  reason  is  that  they  think 
of  salvation  as  the  strength  which  God  gives  to 
help  them  save  themselves.  The  Christian  life 
is  to  them  a  human  undertaking  attended  by 
divine  aid.  In  these  pages  the  life  in  Christ  is 
presented  as  the  work  of  God  in  the  soul,  and 
the  believer  is  encouraged  to  commit  himself 
entirely  to  God  to  be  kept  by  Him. 

In  Part  I  it  is  shown  that  the  Christian  is 
one  chosen  of  God  unto  eternal  life.  This  fact 
is  established  from  the  teachings  of  our  Lord 
and  of  Paul,  and  from  the  personal  experience 
of  the  chosen  one,  and  the  Biblical  explanation 
of  the  fact  is  unfolded. 

In  Part  II  the  light  from  this  fact  of  the 
believer's  adoption  is  thrown  upon  other  great 
truths  of  the  Gospel  and  itself  is  illuminated  by 
them. 

3 


4  PREFACE 

Part  III  is  given  to  the  practical  results  of 
this  fact  when  fully  accepted  by  the  believer 
and  the  church. 

Thus  the  central  thought  of  the  book,  the  one 
truth  about  which  all  the  chapters  gather,  is  the 
blessed  fact  that  God  gives  life  to  His  beloved 
ones,  and  that  all  they  have  to  do  is  to  receive  it. 
It  is  the  prayer  of  the  author  that  any  Christian 
who  reads  these  words,  and  who  is  conscious  of 
being  on  a  low  plane  of  Christian  living,  maybe 
led  to  realize  his  true  standing  with  God  as  a 
chosen  heir  of  grace,  and  that  through  the  gate- 
way of  that  new  knowledge  he  may  pass  to  a 
holier  and  happier  stage  of  religious  experience. 

— Pasadena,  Cal. 


1 ' 


CONTENTS. 
PART  I. 

THE  FACT  REVEALED. 

.TER.  PAGE. 

I.  The  Teaching  of  christ       .     .  9 

II.  The  Teaching  of  paul       ...  18 
III.  The  Fact  to  be  known  through 

Experience     .     .     ,     .         .29 
IV.  ScRii^TURAL  Explanation  of  the 

Fact       ........  39 

V.  Evidences  of  Adoption      ...  52 

PART  II. 

CORRELATED  TRUTHS. 


VI.  Conversion     ...... 

VII.  Fatherhood  and  Sonship    . 
VIII.  Continuance  in  the  Faith 
IX.  The  Sovereignty  of   God 
X.  The  Merits  of  Christ    . 


67 

78 

93 

104 

118 


6  CONTENTS 

XI.  Christ  the  Intercessor     .    ,    .  135 

XII.  The  Baptism  of  the  Spirit    .    .  147 

PART  III. 

SPIRITUAL  RESULTS. 

XIII.  Gratitude 175 

XIV.  Witnessing  to  Christ    ....  189 
XV.  Humility 199 

XVI.  Separation  from  the  World    .  210 

XVII.  Holy  Living 225 

XVIII.  The  Basis  of  Christian  Unity  .  246 

XIX.  A  Missionary  Motive    ....  272 

XX  The  Hope  of  Heaven    ....  291 


PART  I. 

THE   FACT  REVEALED. 


Chapter  I. 
THE  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST. 


Weakness  is  the  mightiest  thing  on  earth  when  it  af- 
fords room  for  God  to  work.  — Horatio  Bonar. 

Inward  holiness  and  eternal  glory  are  the  crown  with 
which  God  dignifies  his  elect.  But  they  are  not  the 
cause  of  the  election.  A  king  is  not  made  a  king  by  the 
royal  robe  he  wears  and  the  crown  which  encircles  his 
brow;  but  he  therefore  wears  his  robes  and  puts  ou  his 
crown  because  he  is  king.  — Salter. 

A  great  word  of  late  is  "environment."  A  machine 
is  at  peace  when  fitted  to  its  place.  This  is  the  peace 
which  the  world  gives.  My  real  environment  however  is 
not  material  but  spiritual.  I  am  more  truly  a  member  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  than  of  this  earthly  kingdom.  I 
have  citizenship  in  heaven  more  really  than  I  have  citi- 
zenship here.  I  am  as  truly  a  member  of  Christ's  king- 
dom as  if  I  had  come  from  there  deputed  to  live  for  a 
time  on  earth.  Hence  my  true  environment  is  environ- 
ment of  soul.     To  that  I  am  to  be  fitted. 

— Benj.  C.  Blodgett. 

It  is  a  wonderful  instance  of  wisdom  and  goodness 
that  God  has  so  connected  His  own  glory  with  our  hap- 
piness that  we  cannot  properly  intend  the  one  but  that 
the  other  must  follow  as  a  matter  of  course,  and  our  felic- 
ity is  at  last  resolved  into  His  eternal  glory. 

— Archbishop  Leighton. 

Man  is  a  vessel  destined  to  receive  God,  a  vessel 
which  must  be  enlarged  in  proportion  as  it  is  filled,  and 
filled  in  proportion  as  it  is  enlarged.  —4^odet. 

As  our  Savior's  earthly  ministry  drew  toward 
its  close  His  intercourse  with  His  disciples  be- 

9 


10  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Christ'*  camemorelovino:  and  tender.  Perhaps 
timrc"  with  ^^^®  remaining  time  seemed  short  for 
His  disciples,  strengthening  the  bond  of  personal 
attachment.  Perhaps  He  was  seeking  to  fortify 
His  followers  against  the  swiftly  coming  days  of 
tribulation.  It  may  be  that  intimate  fellowship 
with  their  Master  was  their  best  preparation  for 
preaching  Him  to  the  world.  Whatever  the 
motive  He  took  them  to  His  heart  with  unwonted 
freedom  during  the  last  months  of  His  life. 
Commandments  fell  from  His  lips  less  frequent- 
ly; comforting  promises  abounded.  There  was 
more  of  heart  language  in  what  He  said  to  them. 
Sometimes  He  even  seemed  to  lean  on  them 
for  sympathy.  The  best  wine  was  kej^t  until 
the  end.  Their  training  culminated  in  the  per- 
sonal revelation  of  Christ  to  their  hearts.  Not 
only  was  He  conscious  of  this  closer  intimacy, 
but  He  also  drew  their  attention  to  it,  declaring 
John  15:15.  ^1^^^  jjq  jjq  longer  called  them  servants  but 
friends. 

One  way  in  which  our   Lord  gave    Himself 

more  richly  to  His  followers  was  in  a  new  and 

wonderful   spirituality    of    teachino:. 

Increased  x  j  in 

Spirituality    No  longer  the  simple  themes  of  the 
sermon  on  the  mount  occupied  His 


John  14:  16, 
17. 
26. 
14. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST  11 

thoughts  but  the  spiritual  mysteries  of  the  Pass- 
over address.  Contrast  the  fifth,  sixth,  and 
seventh  chapters  of  Matthew's  gospel  with  the 
fourteenth,  fifteenth,  and  sixteenth  of  John's. 
The  apostles  were  at  last  led  into  the  holy  of 
holies  of  Christian  truth.  The  divine  Teacher 
made  known  to  His  pupils  the  deep  things  of 
God.  And  there  was  a  note  of  triumph  in  His 
voice  as  He  declared  that  this  truth,  and  still  J?.' 16: 13, 
richer,  should  soon  be  clearly  and  fully 
revealed  to  them  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Among  these  last,  best  truths  was  one  which 
He  repeated  again  and  again.     It  was 

Christ's 

manifestly  a  salient  fact  in  their  re-  chosen 
lations  to  Him.  He  laid  stress  uj)on 
it  as  a  foundation  fact  in  their  religious  history. 
They  had  thought  little  if  at  ail  upon  it,  but 
when  once  it  had  been  declared  to  them  it  sunk 
deeply  into  their  memory,  and  their  later  writ- 
ings show  how  gladly  they  gloried  in  it.  It  was 
the  simple,  yet  startling  truth  that  they  were 
picked  men,  divinely  chosen  to  be  saved  them- 
selves, and  to  be  heralds  of  salvation  to  man- 
kind. True  they  were  in  a  way  familiar  with 
this  fact.  It  w^as  hardly  three  years  since  He 
appeared  to  them,  one  after  another,  and  called 


12  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

them  from  their  nets  and  their  business  to  fol- 
low Him.  Thus  had  He  chosen  them.  But  at 
the  Last  Supper  He  placed  the  fact  of  their  elec- 
tion in  a  new  setting.  In  the  first  place  they 
had  no  original  part  in  it.  "  Ye  have  not 
John  15:16.    chosen  me." 

This  bare,  unmodified  statement  must  have 
sounded  strange  to  men  who  had  but  just 
boasted  that  they  had  left  all  to  follow  Him. 
But  they  soon  saw  that  He  was  not  thinking  of 
any  visible  transaction  which  had  occurred  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake  or  at  the  receipt  of  custom. 
To  the  divine  mind  nothing  initially  takes  place 
in  time  because  everything  has  already  taken 
place  potentially  in  the  counsels  of  eternity. 
Our  Lord  had  in  mind  a  choice  and  a  call  which 
had  come  to  pass  long  before  these  men  were 
born.  The  Master's  invitation  and  the  disci- 
ples' response  were  but  fulfillments  of  an  eter- 
nal plan.  Of  this — His  gracious  purpose  for 
them — He  was  thinking  when  He  said,  "  Ye 
have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you." 

The  prayer  which  He  offered  in  their  hearing 
The  fact  of      expresscd   this  fact  no  less  than  six 

Ood  s  choice 

expressed  by  timcs.       His  followcrs   wcrc   a    gift 

Christ  in  ,  ,  ^_ 

prayer.  bcstowcd   upou  Him  by  the  Father. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST  13 

"  Thine  they  were  and  thou  gavest  them  John  17:6. 
me."  On  the  ground  that  they  had  been 
chosen  of  God  He  petitioned  for  blessings  upon 
them.  Not  once  is  their  choice  of  Him  men- 
tioned as  a  reason  why  they  should  be  favored. 
"  Holy  Father,  keep  through  thine  own  name  John  17:11. 
those  whom  thou  hast  given  me."  The  argu- 
ment for  a  blessing  on  the  disciple  is  that  he 
has  been  chosen  by  the  Father  and  presented 
to  the  Son.  "  I  pray  for  them:  I  pray  not  for  John  17:9. 
the  world,  but  for  them  which  thou  hast  given 
me;  for  they  are  thine."  Such  is  the  divine 
reasoning  of  Christ's  prayer.  He  who  saw  the 
end  from  the  beginning  and  remembered  every 
purpose  of  God,  beheld  these  frail,  sinful  men 
selected  from  eternity  to  fill  certain  places  in 
His  kingdom.  Hence  they  were  fit  subjects 
for  divine  favor.  How  gloriously  this  gracious 
fact  must  have  dawned  ujDon  the  minds  of  those 
eleven  men.  How  wondrously  it  must  have 
grown  upon  their  grateful  faith  later  on  v,dien 
the  Holy  Spirit  brought  all  things  to  their  re- 
membrance and  led  them  into  all  truth.  We 
recall  the  pleased  surprise  of  Nathanael  when 
he  learned  that  before  he  ever  saw  Christ  the 
Savior's  eye  had  been  upon  him  while  praying 


Deut.  14:2. 


U  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

under  the  fig  tree.  How  much  deeper  must 
have  been  the  joy  of  these  disciples  on  realiz- 
ing that  even  before  their  birth  God  had  held 
them  in  His  mind  and  heart,  had  laid  hold  of 
them  as  His  own,  and  had  presented  them  to 
His  Son  as  a  gift.  In  the  light  of  this  truth 
they  soon  understood  all  that  their  Master 
meant  when  he  said,  "  Ye  have  not  chosen  me, 
but  I  have  chosen  you." 

But  the  disciples  were  not  altogether  unpre- 
pared by  education  to  apprehend  this  teaching 
of  Christ.     They  were  Jews,  mem- 

An  old  truth  '^ 

newly  ap=      bers  of  a  chosen  race. 

No  historical  fact  was  more  firmly 
fixed  in  the  faith  of  the  Hebrew  nation  than 
this,  that  Jehovah  had  selected  them  from  all 
the  nations  to  be  His  peculiar  people.  Their 
thought  often  recurred  with  pride  to  that  ancient 
assurance  of  their  Scriptures,  "  For  thou  art  an 
holy  people  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  the  Lord 
hath  chosen  thee  to  be  a  peculiar  people  unto 
himself,  above  all  the  nations  that  are  upon  the 
earth."  And  this  divine  election  had  descended 
to  individuals,  had  laid  its  hand  and  its  man- 
date on  Abraham,  Moses,  Samuel,  David, 
Daniel,  all  the  heroes  and  martyrs  and  prophets, 


THE  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST  15 

as  special  recixDients  of  heavenly  grace.  John 
and  Peter  and  the  rest  had  read  their  Scriptures, 
and  in  those  sacred  books  the  corner  stone  of 
biography,  and  the  "  philosophy  of  history  "  is 
the  sovereign  choice  by  God  of  the  children  of 
Israel.     "  You  only  have  I   knov»ai   of   all   the  Amos  3:2. 

-^         ^  ^  Ps.  65:4. 

families  of  the  earth,"  is  the  key  which  unlocks 
the  meaning  of  all  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 
As  he  who  would  obliterate  from  the  New  Test- 
ament the  expiatory  sacrifice  of  the  Son  of  God 
must  first  destroy  type  and  symbol  and  proph- 
ecy in  the  ancient  Scriptures,  of  which  our  Sa- 
vior said,  "They  are  they  v,diich  testify  of  me,"  John  5:39. 
so  he  who  wpuld  reject  Chistian  election  as 
revealed  in  the  gosiDels  must  take  the  very  ]pith 
and  substance  out  of  the  inspired  record  of 
God's  redemj)tive  work  in  Israel.  The  Jews  of 
the  first  century  have  been  called  narrow  and 
bigoted  because  they  did  not  readily  accept  the 
universality  of  the  gospel.  But  exclusiveness 
was  not  their  choice.  It  had  been  divinely 
commanded  them  from  the  beginning,  and  their 
national  sin  under  the  old  covenant  was  that 
they  did  not  keep  themselves  altogether  separate 
from  the  nations. 

Our  Savior  therefore  did  not  use  an  unfamiliar 


16  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

term  when  He  spoke  of  His  followers  as  "the 
elect."  A  short  time  before  the  Last  Supper, 
in  portraying  the  wonders  of  His  coming  king- 
dom, He  had  reijeatedly  applied  this  expression 
to  Christian  believers.  "  For  the  elect's  sake  " 
the  days  of  Jerusalem's  destruction  should  be 
shortened.  False  prophets  would  arise  to  de- 
^^ll',  3u^^'  ceive  if  possible  "  the  very  elect."  The  angels 
were  to  come  and  "gather  together  his  elect 
from  the  four  wdnds  of  heaven."  A  Jew  could 
attach  but  one  meaning  to  the  term,  and  our 
Savior  would  use  it  only  in  its  accepted  sense. 
It  meant  those  v/hom  God  had  graciously  select- 
ed to  be  recipients  of  His  favor. 

This  is  the  Christian's  heritage.     He  is  fore= 

redeemed.     Let  him  be  assured  of  it  and  rejoice 

in  it.     Let  him  thank  God   that   he 

Christ  s 

choice  of  us  was   not   left   to  follow   the  dictates 

precedes  our  ,  ^ 

choice  of  of  liis  evil  nature,  that  his  eternal  wel- 
fare was  not  suffered  to  hang  upon 
the  choices  of  his  wicked  heart.  His  Lord  says 
John  15:19.  to  him,  "I  have  chosen  you."  The  true  disciple 
has  been  named  to  receive  special  favor  from 
God.  Selected  and  separated  from  the  world 
he  is  peculiarly  blessed.  Throughout  his  life 
he  is  attended  by  the  loving  oversight  of  heaven. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  CHRIST  17 

Many  have  been  called,  he  has  been  chosen. 
Many  have  heard  the  invitation,  he  has  become 
partaker  of  the  heavenly  grace.  The  Father 
has  reached  down  to  him  even  in  his  sin  and 
indifference,  taken  him  an  unwilling  captive, 
and  presented  him  to  Christ.  On  the  wall  of  his 
study  at  Olney  John  Newton  had  these  words 
displayed,  "  Kemember  that  thou  wast  a  bond-  Deut.  15:15. 
man  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  the  Lord  thy 
God  redeemed  thee."  In  this  way  our  Savior 
thinks  of  us,  not  as  men  and  women  v/ho  of  our 
own  notion  have  decided  to  follow  Him,  but  as 
chosen  ones,  named  by  Him  to  be  redeemed, 
sanctified,  glprified.  Have  we  been  wont  to 
think  of  ourselves  thus,  as  those  whom  Christ  has 
separated  from  the  world?  Our  poor  lives  are  to 
be  taken  uj)  by  Him  to  be  made  what  He  i^leases, 
faultless,  complete  in  Him,  according  to  a  pur-  . 
pose  formed  before  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether. What  is  it  to  be  a  Christian?  To  be 
chosen  of  God.  To  be  given  by  God  to  Christ. 
To  be  fashioned  by  Christ  into  likeness  to  His 
own  perfect  image. 


Chapter  II. 
THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL 


Paul's  words  have  feet  and  hands;  they  run  after  you, 
they  seize  you.  — Luther. 

Election  is  the  expression  of  God's  infinite  love  to- 
wards the  human  race,  redeeming  man  from  sin  through 
Christ,  and  by  the  Holy  Spirit  bringing  h'm  into  this 
state  of  redemption,  so  far  as  it  is  consistent  with  the 
interests  of  God's  great  and  final  kingdom.  It  is  the 
divine   love    in   its    concrete  and  most  triumphant  form. 

—Henry  B.  Smith,  D.  D. 

Two  grand  truths  have  always  seemed  to  me  to  per- 
vade the  whole  Bible  and  not  to  be  confined  to  a  few  i^ar- 
ticular  phrases,  viz.  that  if  we  are  saved  it  is  entirely  of 
God's  grace;  and  if  we  are  lost  it  will  be  entirely  froiB 
ourselves.  I  know  full  well  a  man  may  easily  force  me 
into  a  corner  with  things  seemingly  or  really  related  to 
the  truth  of  either  of  these  affirmations;  but  he  will  not 
shake  my  confidence  in  either,  while  I  can  read,  "0  Israel, 
thou  hast  destroyed  thyself;  but  in  me  is  thy  help."  The 
connection  is  like  a  chain  across  a  river;  I  can  see  the 
two  ends  but  not  the  middle;  not  because  there  is  no  real 
union,  but  because  it  is  under  water.  Lower  the  water  or 
raise  the  links,  and  I  shall  see  the  centre  as  well  as  the 
extremes.  — William  Jay. 

The  apostle  Paul  explained  and  defended  the 
truths  which  Christ  simply  affirmed.  He  who 
was  the  truth  "taught  with  authority";  His 
apostle    "reasoned     of    righteousness."      This 

18 


THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL  19 

was  an  important  part  of  Paul's  mission,  to  be 
the  authoritative  theologian  of  the  church.  He 
collected  and  classified  the  precious    .    •     •    ^ 

■'-  An  inspired 

R-ems  of  truth  which  the  divine  teach-   interpreter 

of  Christ's 

er  scattered  along  the  way.  No  im-  teaching. 
I)ortant  doctrine  is  set  forth  by  Paul  which  was 
not  first  revealed  by  his  Master.  It  did  not 
come  within  the  scope  of  Christ's  purpose  to 
present  a  formal  system  of  religious  truth.  As 
Dr.  Dale  pithily  observes,  "He  came  not  so 
much  to  preach  the  gospel  as  that  there  might 
be  a  gospel  to  be  i^reached."  When  the  Mo- 
hammedan moollahs  told  Henry  Martyn  that 
the  Koran  was.  as  good  a  teacher  of  the  cardinal 
virtues  as  Christ  was,  the  missionary  pertinent- 
ly replied  that  Jesus  Christ  came  not  so  much 
to  teach  as  to  die.  Our  Lord  said  the  same 
thing  to  Nicodemus.  When  the  Jewish  rabbi 
began  to  compliment  Him  as  a  "a  teacher  come 
from  God,"  Christ  could  hardly  wait  to  hear 
him  through  before  declaring  to  him  that  He  ^^^^  ^"'^'^^ 
came  to  be  lifted  up  as  the  serpent  was  lifted 
up  in  the  wilderness.  Indeed  He  Himself  v/as 
the  Gcs]pel.  What  He  was  and  what  He  did 
constitute  Christianity.  It  was  important,  in- 
dispensable,   after    His    ascension  that  an  in- 


20  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

spired    penman    should    expound     the     great 
truths  which  center  in  Him. 

Such  a  penman  is  Paul.  Divinely  appointed 
to  his  work,  and  equipped  for  it  by  the  Spirit, 
Enthusiasm  he  is  equal  to  his  task.  The  char- 
teacMnjt  acteristic  features  of  Christianity  he 
Its  secret.  vividly  portrays  for  all  ages.  Cen- 
trally he  places  the  Cross.  Around  it  he  gathers 
essential  truths, — human  guilt,  justification  by 
faith,  regeneration,  atonement,  election,  union 
with  Christ,  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  the  second 
coming  of  Christ.  Into  all  his  teaching  he  puts 
the  fire  and  force  of  his  intense  personality. 
This  fact  which  is  before  us — that  the  Christian 
is  chosen  of  God — calls  forth  all  his  enthusiasm. 
Modern  theologians  may  embalm  it  in  the  wrap- 
pings of  dry  philosophy.  Not  so  Paul.  It  is 
as  dear  to  him  as  the  doctrine  of  the  Cross  it- 
self. It  fires  his  soul  and  flames  out  in  his 
epistles.  It  flashes  at  points  here  and  there 
unexpectedly,  in  a  word  or  a  phrase,  showing 
how  fully  it  possesses  his  mind.  Take  the 
Key  note  of  letter  to  the  Ephesians.  It  is 
p  esians.  j^^gygj  ^q  ^\^\^  high  pitcli  in  the  open- 
Fph.  i:i.  ing  note.  "  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by 
the  will  of  God."     Then  how  the  eager  words 


THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL  21 

tumble  over  one  another  through  three  chapters 
as  the  impetuous  pastor  seeks  to  inspire  his 
flock  with  the  glorious  conviction  which  burns 
in  his  own  soul  that  he  and  they  are  picked 
men,  divinely  set  apart  and  ordained  to  the 
Christian  life  and  inheritance.  "According  as  Eph.  1:4 
he  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  foundation 
of  the  world."  What  a  triumphant  ring  in  those 
words.  "  Chosen  us  in  him  " — in  Christ,  and 
therefore  made  us  one  family, — "  predestinated 
us  unto  the  adoption  of  children  by  Jesus  ^p^* 
Christ  to  himself,  according  to  the  good  pleas- 
ure of  his  will."  Paul  exults  in  these  wondrous 
evidences  of  infinite  grace.  That  God  should 
have  chosen  him  at  all  would  have  thrilled  the 
apostle's  soul  with  amazement  and  gratitude. 
But  that  this  gracious  choice  should  have  been 
made  ages  on  ages  before  Paul  came  into  being, 
should  have  been  "  according  to  the  eternal  pur- 
pose which  he  purposed  in  Christ  Jesus  ouJ 
Lord,"  excited  a  wonder  and  an  awe  in  Paul's 
inmost  being,  which  he  could  not  express  in 
words. 

So  in  Romans  IX-XI  his  logic  is  on  fire  with 
this  glowing  thought.     He  argues  the  exceeding 


22  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Climax  of       riclies  of  divine   grace  in  the  salva- 
the  Epistle      ^.        ^f  ^^^^  outcast  nations  with  the 

to  the 

Romans.  fervor  and  exultant  joy  of  a  father  re- 
joicing in  the  rescue  of  his  children.  And  so 
when  he  reaches  his  conclusion  his  state  of 
mind  is  not  that  of  a  logician  who  has  proved 
his  proposition,  but  of  a  Christian  pastor  who 
has  portrayed  the  redemption  of  his  people,  and 
in  the  eleventh  chapter  we  find  not  the  qiiod  erat 
demonstrandum  of  the  debater,  but  the  triumph- 
ant psean  of  the  gospel  herald.  "  O  the  depth 
Rom.  11:33.  q£  ^YiQ  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and  the  knowl- 
edge of  God!  how  unsearchable  are  his  judg- 
ments and  his  ways  past  finding  out!  For  of 
him,  and  through  him,  and  to  liim  are  all  things: 
to  whom  be  glory  forever.     Amen." 

It  is  a  significant,  but  not  strange,  fact  that 
Paul,   of  all  inspired  writers,  should 

Why  Paul  '  ^  ' 

laid  stress  on  be  the  most  fervid  expositor  of  those 
Rom.  1:1.  '      words  of  Christ,  "I  have  chosen  you." 

His  very  introduction  of  himself  to  his  readers 

suggests  that  the  fact  was  ever  on  his  mind. 
I  &  2  Cor.     "  Paul,  an  apostle  of  Jesus  Christ  by  the  will  of 

God."     The   fact   describes   the   man.     Indeed 

Gal.  1:1. 

this  truth  of  the  sovereign  choice  by  God  of  His 
F.ph.  1:1.      servants  may  almost  be  said  to  have  taken  on  a 


THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL  23 

Pauline  personality,  so  instantly  do  we  think  of 
the  apostle  when  we  speak  of  the  truth,  And 
why  should  Paul,  rather  than  another,  be  the 
foremost  champion  of  electing  grace?  Because 
of  his  "exceptional  religious  experience.  A 
fascinating  volume  might  be  written  on  the 
relation  between  Paul's  teachings  and  God's 
personal  dealings  with  him.  It  could  easily  be 
shown  that  the  truths  which  he  makes  i^rominent 
in  his  epistles  are  those  which  had  been  empha- 
sized in  his  conversion  and  subsequent  Chris- 
tian growth.  Especially  would  the  choice  of 
him  by  God  appear  to  have  grounded  itself  on 
his  personal^ history.  It  was  the  wonder  of  his 
life  that  he,  of  all  men,  should  have  been 
selected  of  God  to  be  saved  himself,  and  to  be  a 
chosen  vessel  to  bear  Christ's  name  before  Gen- 
tiles, and  kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel.  He 
was  vividly  conscious  of  the  fearful  obstacles 
which  divine  grace  had  met  and  overcome  in 
his  conversion.  No  sooner  was  he  alone  in  the 
house  of  Judas  than  the  strangeness  of  his  call 
came  to  his  soul.  He  pondered  over  it.  In 
Arabia  the  wonder  of  it  increased  as  he  medi- 
tated. Never  to  the  end  of  his  life  could  he 
think  of  it  as  anything  but  a  marvel  that  God 


Col.  i:i. 


I  &2Tim. 


24  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

laid  a  saving  hand  on  him  the  persecutor,  the 
blasphemer,  and  enlisted  all  his  powers  in  the 
service  of  Christ.  This  wonder  expresses  itself 
in  his  epistles  in  most  humble  allusions  to  his 
Eph.  3:8.  conversion  and  to  the  honors  laid  upon  him  as 
Gal.  1:15, 16.  ^  herald  of  Christian  truth.  Less  than  the 
least  of  all  saints  this  grace  was  given  to  him 
that  he  should  preach  among  the  Gentiles  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  Christ. 

Three    characteristics  of  Paul's  personal  ex- 
Characteris-   pericuce  of  electing  grace  are  worthy 
*  fauh^/ne^iect-  ^^  uotice.     lu  the  first  place  he  gives 

ing  grace.  himself  whollyTo  it.  Whatever  else 
is  true  this  is  certainly  indisputable  that  he  is  a 
redeemed  man  by  the  sovereign  choice  of  God. 
I.  He  casts  Tliorc  are  no  limitations  to  be  put 
re^rvediy"  ^po^^  ^his  fact.  It  is  uot  to  be  hedged 
upon  it.  about  by  explanations  and  corrections. 
Paul  gives  the  conviction  full  sway.  The  com- 
fort and  insjiiration  of  it  are  not  diminished  by 
mental  reservations.  The  apostle  is  persuaded 
that  his  name  has  baen  written  in  the  Lamb's 
Book  of  Life  by  God's  own  hand.  It  is  the 
everlastingness  of  his  election  which  makes  the 
certainty  of  it  doubly  sure.  The  thing  was  de- 
termined before  the  foundation   of   the   world. 


THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL  25 

God  had  graciously  spoken  his  name  in  remote 
eternity,  and  the  divine  purpose  did  not  once 
swerve  during  those  years  of  his  perversity,  nor 
falter  because  of  his  resistance.  Then  too  the 
unlikeliness  of  the  choice  strengthened  his 
faith  in  its  reality.  No  one  would  have  pre- 
dicted that  Saul  of  Tarsus  would  become  a 
Christian.  The  discii^les  at  Damascus  could 
hardly  believe  in  his  conversion.  It  seemed 
like  God's  act;  to  no  one  more  than  to  the  sub- 
ject of  it.  The  more  improbable  it  was  in  itself 
the  more  surely  it  was  a  supernatural  work. 
And  its  irresistableness  was  the  crowning  proof 
of  its  realit}^,  Saul  the  self-confident,  the  im- 
movable, had  been  a  plaything  under  the 
mighty  hand  of  God.  He  had  felt  himself 
taken  uj)  and  borne  into  the  kingdom  as  a 
cockle-shell  might  be  swept  onward  upon  the 
crest  of  a  billow.  His  work?  He  had  no  orig- 
inal part  in  it.  "  The  will  of  God  "  could  alone 
be  the  efficient  cause.  The  "  mystery "  took 
entire  possession  of  his  faith.  He  gave  himself 
wholly  to  it. 

But,  in  the  second  place,  there  was   no  tinge 
of  fatalism  in  this  belief.     Fate   is  blind,   and 


Acts  (5:10-2.2 


26  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

this  sovereign  deed  was  the  act  of  an 
a  fatalist.       intelligent  mind.     The  ajpostle's  faith 

was  healthy  and  free  from  every  form 
of  superstition.  No  man  held  more  firmly  than 
he  to  the  proper  freedom  of  the  will.  The  only 
way  in  which  to  "  reconcile  "  election  and  free 
will  is  to  maintain  both  facts  stoutly.  This  is 
the  Biblical  method.  The  Scriptures  never 
reduce  a  truth  to  its  lov/est  terms  by  fine  dis- 
tinctions and  modifying  exceptions.  They  give 
to  each  truth  its  time  and  place,  unmolested  by 
complementary  truths  which  may  be  equally 
important.  Everywhere  Paul  assumes  that 
man  has  the  power  of  free  choice  and  is  respon- 
sible to  God  for  his  decisions.  He  exhorts  men 
to  repentance  as  if  all  depended  on  their  voli- 
tions. Everywhere  he  contemplates  himself  as 
a  free  moral  agent,  and  holds  himself  strictly 
accountable  for  his  early  opi^osition  to  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ.  Nowhere  does  the  fact  of  God's 
sovereign  election  cause  him  embarassment. 
On  the  contrary  when  most  conscious  of  being 
*'  a  chosen  vessel  "  he  glories  most  in  his  Chris- 
tian freedom,  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
makes  free.  Every  Christian  heart  will  under- 
stand his  position.     There  are   two  freedoms, 


THE  TEACHING  OF  PAUL  27 

says  Charles  Kingsley,  the  false  freedom  to  do 
as  we  x^lease,  and  the  true  freedom  to  do  as  we 
ought.  When  the  human  will  is  merged  in  the 
divine  will  there  is  no  antagonism  between 
God's  sovereignty  and  man's  freedom.  If  we 
can  sincerely  pray  "  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy 
will  be  done,"  v/e  shall  not  fear  lest  our  heav- 
enly Father  may  interfere  Vv'iih  our  liberty. 

The  third  characteristic  of  Paul's  sure  and 
steadfast  hoioe  is  that  it  embraces  all       Aiitrue 
his  fellow  Christians.      It  might  be  christians 

i,..^.....  ^  ^  ^  are  partak- 

urged  that  his  own  experience   was  crs  of  the 
exceptional,  that  it  is  not  strange  that 
a  man  arrested  by  a  blinding  light  and  a  com- 
manding voice  from  the   skies   should  believe 
himself  to  be  marked   out  for  special   mercies 
but  that  other  men  have  not  the  same  evidence 
of  their  calling  and  election.     Yet  Paul  is  as 
sure   of  the   humblest   discii)le  at  Ephesus  or 
Corinth  as  of  himself.     He  gathers  all  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  into  one  com^Dany,  and  si3eaks 
with  equal  fervor  and  certainty  of  his  own  in- 
heritance and  that  of  all  the  saints.     ''  He  hath  ^p^-  ^'■•^■ 
blessed  us  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heav- 
enly places  in  Christ."     "  He  hath  chosen  us  in  Eph.  i-4 
him  before  the  foundation  of  the  world."      To 


I  Thess.  1:4. 
I  Cor.  1:1,2. 

Rom.  1:7. 


28  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

tlio  Tliossalonians  he  writes,  ''Knowing  breth- 
ren beloved,  your  election  of  God."  The  Corin- 
thians are  "  called  to  be  saints "  in  the  same 
sense  in  which  he  was  "  called  to  be  an  apostle 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  viz.:  "through  the  will  of 
God."  So,  too,  he  speaks  of  "  all  that  be  in  Rome, 
beloved  of  God,  called  to  be  saints."  However 
varied  their  personal  experiences  he  traces  the 
origin  of  those  experiences  to  the  one  source, 
the  compelling  grace  of  God.  There  is  no  dif- 
ference. Every  Christian  has  been  set  apart  for 
redemx)tion  from  all  eternity.  Not  only  they 
who  have  been  manifestly  snatched  from  evil 
courses,  but  they  who  have  come  quietly  into 
the  kingdom,  are  chosen  of  God.  Not  only  the 
most  gifted  but  the  least  of  the  saints.  Conver- 
sions vary  only  in  outward  appearance.  In- 
wardly they  are  all  the  result  of  the  effectual 
calling.  Whatever  his  virtues  or  vices,  what- 
ever his  talents,  learning,  station,  the  child  of 
God  Ivis  from  eternity  been  appointed  to  receive 
that  grace  which  bringeth  salvation.  This  fact 
has  been  revealed  to  him  by  the  pen  of  inspi- 
ration. 


Chapter  III. 

THIS     TRUTH      TO      BE      KNOWN 

THROUGH  PERSONAL 

EXPERIENCE. 


Amazing  grace!  how  sweet  the  sound, 

That  saved  a  wretch  like  me! 
I  once  was  lost,  but  now  am  found. 

Was  blind,  but  now  I  see.         — John  Newton. 

Of  all  the  privileges  wherewith  the  soul  of  man  has 
ever  been  blessed,  or  ever  can  be  blessed  in  this  life,  by 
far  the  most  consoling  and  elevating  is  the  sense  of 
adoption  into  the  family  of  God.  No  man  can  read  the 
New  Testament  and  deny  that  this  was  an  ordinary 
characteristic  of  the  believers  then  living,  or  that  it  was  a 
main  element  of  their  strength,  kindling  in  them  a  joy 
which  made  them  ready  to  face  reproach,  and  emulate  high 
service.  — William  Arthur. 

All  the  great  truths  of  the  Bible  are  impressed  on  the 
convictions  of  the  people  of  God.  — Charles  Hodge. 

There  is  a  state  of  religious  experience  possible  to 
every  Christian.  *  *  *  It  is  a  state  in  which  the  be- 
liever no  longer  needs  argument  to  support  his  convic- 
tions, and  is  no  longer  open  to  argument  against  them. 
Certain  central  truths  of  religion  are  fixed  in  his  very 
soul.  They  have  been  settled  once  for  all  and  forever. 
An  oak  of  a  hundred  years'  growth  is  not  rooted  so 
immovably.  They  are  thus  settled  because  they  have  be- 
come matters  of  experience.  They  long  ago  passed  out 
of  the  realm  of  theory  into  the  realm  which  Whitefield 
called  "soul  life."  — Austin  Phelps. 

29 


30  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

No  Christian  enters  upon  the  full  blessedness 
of  this  truth  till  he  has  known  the  personal  ex- 
perience of  it  which  fired  the  heart 

Kow  to  know 

Spiritual  of  Paul.  It  might  be  said  that  no 
discijole  of  Christ  really  believes  any 
doctrine  of  grace  until  it  has  become  a  part  of 
his  spiritual  life.  But  it  is  especially  true  that 
he  must  approach  this  fact  of  his  having  been 
chosen  of  God  along  the  avenue  of  experience. 
If  he  comes  to  it  by  the  way  of  study  and  re- 
flection merely;  if  he  accepts  it  only  as  a  teach- 
ing of  the  Word,  labels  it  and  lays  it  away 
among  the  articles  of  his  creed,  he  will  iDrize  it 
as  the  mineralogist  values  the  specimens  of  ore 
in  his  cabinet.  The  believer  is  first  of  all  a 
redeemed  soul  by  the  gracious  and  unmerited 
choice  of  God.  If  he  knows  his  own  heart  he 
will  often  be  filled  with  a  sweet  surprise  at  the 
position  in  which  he  finds  himself,  a  chosen 
heir  of  grace,  selected  in  his  unworthiness,  and 
ordained  to  the  high  honor  and  privilege  of 
walking  with  Christ.  The  more  he  reflects  on 
it  the  less  will  he  be  able  to  explain  it.  The 
wonder  of  it  will  sometimes  seize  him  while  at 
his  prayers  or  at  his  daily  work.  Whatever  else 
grace  may  seem  to  be  it  will  more  and  more 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  THIS  TRUTH       31 

appear  to  him  as  "amazing"  grace.  Once  he 
sung  of  the  happy  day  that  fixed  his  choice  on 
Christ.  As  his  experience  deepens  he  will  sing 
in  his  heart  of  the  haT]>py  day  that  fixed  Clirist's 
choice  on  him.  More  and  more  fully  will  he 
realize  the  meaning  of  the  words,  "  we  love  him, 
because  he  first  loved  us."  He  will  pass  beyond  ^  ^^'^"  *''^'^' 
that  earthly  stage  of  Christian  experience  which 
dwells  often  and  j)erhax3S  anxiously  upon  the 
love  of  the  disciple  to  his  Lord,  and  will  advance 
into  the  j)eace  and  strength  which  come  with  a 
deep  sense  of  Christ's  love  to  His  own.  Such 
was  Paul's  i^rayer  for  his  friends — that  they 
might  "be  able  to  comj)rehend  with  all  saint 
what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and  Eph  3:18,19. 
height;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ  which 
passeth  knowledge." 

At  the  very  beginning  of  the  Christian  life  it 
is    important    to    understand    God's    ,    .  . 

^  A  right  start 

method  of  teachino- us  spiritual  truth.    "ntheChris- 

tain  Hfe. 

He  designs  that  we  should  come  to 
knowledge  largely  through  exi^erience.  That 
was  a  suggestive  expression  which  our  fathers 
used  when  they  said  of  a  convert  to  Christ  that 
he  had  "  experienced  religion."  Can  we  find  a 
better  phrase  to  cover  the  facts?     Our  real  creed 


32  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

is  not  the  truth  which  we  hold  but  the  truth 
which  holds  us  through  its  power  in  our  soul's 
life.     The  Samaritans  said  to  the  woman,  "Now 

John  4:42.  we  believe,  not  because  of  thy  saying:  for  we 
have  heard  him  ourselves,  and  know  that  this  is 
indeed   the  Christ,  the  Savior   of  the   world." 

Job.  42:5.  So  Job  once  said,  "I  have  heard  of  thee  by  the 
hearing  of  the  ear;  but  now  mine  eye  seeth  thee." 
Here  is  the  faith  of  experimental  knowledge  as 
distinguished  from  belief  founded  uj^on  hearsay, 
The  soul  thus  receives  from  God  an  under- 
standing of  divine  things,  and  this  understand- 
ing is  as  reliable  as  our  knowledge  of  the  world 
about  us,  or  our  consciousness  of  our  inner  selves. 
This  sense  of  being  divinely  chosen,  we  ob- 
serve, is  not  a  feeling  which  we  originated.  It 
came  to  us.  We  did  not  try  to  feel  it. 
knowledge  ^^^  ^^^^  Contrary  v/e  may  have  thought 
''"P^''*fV^    at  the  time  of  our  conversion  that  the 

usby  Qod. 

question  of  our  embracing  Christ  was 
one  altogether  of  our  own  choice.  But  we 
early  came  to  the  knowledge  that  something  had 
been  done  in  our  hearts  which  we  did  not  do. 
Looking  back  we  saw  that  there  was  a  will 
mightier  than  our  own  leading  and  guiding  us 
whither  it  would.     This  was  the  grace  of  God 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  THIS  TRUTH        33 

carrying  out  His  plan  for  us.  Often  it  seems 
to  us  that  we  had  very  little  to  do  with  it  after 
all.  But  we  know  what  has  taken  i)lace.  We 
are  resting  upon  facts,  This  is  not  some  specu- 
lation respecting  religious  doctrine.  It  is  the 
soul  taking  knowledge  of  what  has  gone  on 
within  itself. 

Just  at  this  point  the  Bible  comes  in  to  inter- 
pret   to    us    our   inner   experiences. 

^  .  The  Scrip. 

Without  the  Scriptures  we  might  tures  ex- 
have  had  the  experiences,  but  we  our  spiritual 
would  have  had  no  intelligent  under-  "*'^" 
standing  of  them.  One  function  of  the  Word 
of  God  is  to  aid  the  Christian  in  comprehending 
the  life  which  he  receives  from  Christ — its 
nature,  its  progress,  and  its  end.  The  Sijirit 
thus  reveals  truth  to  the  believer  in  two  ways, 
by  experience  in  the  life,  and  by  v/crds  in  the 
Scriptures.  These  two  revelations  agree,  and 
hence  the  Scrii^iures  explain  experience.  No 
truth  is  written  by  inspiration  merely  to  gratify 
curiosity.  The  fact  that  the  Bible  says  so  much 
about  God's  choosing  us  in  Christ  i)roves  that 
this  truth  is  not  a  useless  dogma  but  a  fact  for 
us  to  feed  upon.  In  the  Bible,  as  in  a  mirror, 
man  sees  himself.     Not  only  does  the  Word  give 


34  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

names  to  liis  experiences,  hut  it  unfolds  their 
meaning,  discloses  their  importance,  and  declares 
their  value,  that  he  may  have  a  true  view  of  him- 
self as  a  child  of  God,  that  he  may  know  what 
God  is  doing  for  him  and  will  do.  The  book  'is 
not  his  salvation  indeed.  But  it  makes  clear  to 
his  mind  many  things  concerning  his  salvation 
which  might  otherwise  perj^lex  and  trouble  him. 
On  the  other  hand,  this  x^ersonal  experience  of 
the   believer    interprets   to   him   the 

Experience 

sai3oacom=    meaning  of  the  Word.     His  mind  is 

rnentary  on  ^'    ^   ,  ^       ^  i        i 

the  meaning  enlightened  when  he  becomes  a  new 
of  the  Bible,  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  John  Ber- 
ridge,  the  friend  of  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  de- 
clared that  on  his  conversion  it  seemed  to  him 
as  if  the  Bi])le  which  he  had  read  all  his  life  had 
been  lifted  off  tlio  table  and  a  new  one  laid  down 
in  its  place.  Conversion  opens  blind  eyes  to 
things  now  and  old  in  the  Scriptures.  A  spirit- 
ual understanding  is  developed.  On  this  ac- 
count only  the  believer  is  qualified  to  interj)ret 
the  Scriptures.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  no 
great,  living  work  upon  Christian  truth  lias  been 
written  by  any  man  not  sinritually  united  with 
Christ.  There  have  been  mighty  intellects  out- 
side the  church.     Why  have  not  some  of  them 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  THIS  TRUTH       35 

given  us  profound  treatises  on  Christian  doc- 
trine? The  Hebrew  and  Greek  languages  have 
been  mastered  by  scores  of  imperial  minds 
which  have  not  owned  the  sway  of  Christ.  Why 
have  they  not  left  a  single  useful  commentary 
on  the  Bible?  Because  something  more  than 
scholarship  and  intellect  are  needed  to  grasp 
and  to  unfold  the  things  of  the  Spirit.  Truth 
must  pass  into  the  life,  the  inner  life,  before  it 
can  be  expounded  in  language,  This  is  con- 
si)icuously  so  with  respect  to  the  truth  that  God 
has  chosen  us.  The  believer  sees  this  truth  in 
the  light  of  what  God  has  wrought  in  his  soul. 
He  can  no  longer  discuss  the  ninth  of  Romans 
as  he  reasons  concerning  a  theory  of  natural 
science.  He  has  felt  the  power  of  divine  grace 
in  his  own  sinful  nature.  His  religious  faith  is 
like  the  life  blood  vrhich  courses  through  his 
veins.  He  is  like  the  i^rospector  who  has  been 
to  the  mountain  and  found  gold.  He  hears 
with  indifference  all  arguments  against  the  jjrob- 
ability  of  finding  gold  in  that  place.  He  has 
searched  the  mountain.  The  prize  is  in  his  pos- 
session. He  only  can  speak  as  an  authority. 
There  was  a  time  v/hen  Christ's  words,  "Ye 
have  not  chosen  me,  but  I   have   chosen   you," 


James  1:21. 


36  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

may  h.ive  been  a  stumbling  block  to  his  under- 
standing. Now  they  are  not  only  the  solace  of 
his  own  hope  of  salvation,  but  afford  him  the 
sole  hope  that  any  one  v^'ill  bo  saved.  For  his 
heart  tells  him  that  if  God  had  not  first  chosen 
him  he  would  never  have  chosen  God,  and 
observation  assures  him  that  nothing  loss  than 
the  sovereign  grace  of  God  will  move  any  soul 
to  repentance,  and  save  the  world  from  sin.  He 
knows  from  experience  that  holiness  is  not  nat- 
ural to  the  human  heart.  It  m.ust  be  imi)lanted 
by  the  Spirit,  and  nurtured  by  divine  grace. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  James  where  he  says 
that  truth  is  to  be  "  sown  into"  our  nature. 
"  Koceive  with  meekness  the  engrafted  w^ord, 
which  is  able  to  save  your  souls. "  Thus  the 
spiritual  life  of  the  believer  throws  light  upon 
the  Bible.  And  as  he  becomes  more  fully  con- 
scious of  what  grace  has  done  and  is  doing  for 
himself,  his  understanding  of  the  Scriptures 
grows  in  breadth  and  cl(\arness. 

It  follows  that  if  w^e  are  to  come  more  fully 
into  possession  of  tliis  precious  truth  that  we 
are  chosen  of  God  we  must  seek  a  closer  union 
with  Christ.     Spiritual  truth  is  spiritually  dis- 


PERSONAL  EXPERIENCE  OF  THIS  TRUTH       37 

cerned.       If    any    of     the     revealed 

A  deeper 

truths  of  the  gospel  seem  to  the   be-  spiritual  i:fe 

our  need. 

liever  to  be  "foolishness"  there  is 
something  wrong  in  his  relation  to  his  Savior. 
Perhaps  he  has  not  made  the  unreserved  conse- 
cration, has  not  left  all  to  follow  Christ.  He 
may  be  living  a  worldly  life.  Christ  said  to 
those  Jews  who  believed  on  Him,  "If  ye  con- 
tinue in  my  word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  in- 
deed; and  ye  shall  know  the  truth,  and  the  truth 
shall  make  you  free."  Truth  of  itself  will  not 
make  men  free.  It  will  often  harden  them  in 
slavery  to  sin.  The  heat  which  softens  the  wax 
hardens  the  clay.  Nor  will  truth  be  fully  made 
known  to  those  who  are  not  "  discijples  indeed." 
We  must  continue  in  Christ's  word  by  prayer, 
by  obedience,  if  we  are  to  know  the  truth,  and 
to  be  made  free  by  it. 

It  follows  also  that  the  hope  of  the  Christian 
should  be  "  both  sure  and  steadfast."  uaeonscsous 
We  have  heard  it  said  of  some  per-  Christianity, 
sons  that  they  were  Christians  without  knowing 
it.  Do  w^e  find  any  such  mentioned  in  the  Word 
of  God?  Do  we  know  of  persons  who  love 
their  friends  without  knowing  it?  A  drowning 
man  may  indeed  be  taken  from  the  water  uncon- 


John  8-31, 
32- 


38  CHOSEN  OF  ODD 

scious,  and  for  a  time  not  know  that  he  is  rescued. 
But  as  soon  as  he  awakens  on  the  shore  he  com- 
prehends his  deliverance  and  is  grateful  to  his 
rescuers.  If  a  redeemed  man  roads  the  Bible 
does  he  not  speedily  recognize  in  its  descrip- 
tions of  the  new  birth  that  experience  which 
has  taken  place  in  his  o^vn  soul?  Does  not  the 
theory  that  men  can  be  disciples  of  Christ  un- 
consciously look  very  much  like  a  device  of 
Satan  to  lull  to  sleep  our  anxiety  as  to  the  in- 
difference of  our  unsaved  friends?  May  it  not 
be  that  "  the  father  of  lies  "  is  pleased  to  have 
us  satisfied  with  feeble  assurance  of  our  own 
salvation?  Surely  it  is  not  the  will  of  God 
that  His  chosen  ones  should  walk  in  ignorance 
of  their  x^resent  rich  inheritance.  Christ  mani- 
fests Himself  to  His  own.  When  the  door  has 
been  opened  and  the  heavenly  guest  has  come 
in  He  makes  Himself  known  to  the  willing  dis- 
ciple. 


Chapter  IV. 

THE  SCRIPTURAL   EXPLANATION 

OF  GOD'S  CHOICE  OF 

HIS  PEOPLE. 


God  is  his  own  interpreter.  — Coivper. 

A  science  without  mystery  is  unknown;  a  religion 
without  mystery  is  absurd.  — Drumniond. 

I  have  lately  seen  two  wonders.  First,  as  I  looked 
out  of  the  window  I  saw  the  stars  in  the  heavens  and  the 
entire  beautiful  vault  which  God  has  raised;  yet  the 
heavens  fell  fiot  and  the  vault  still  remains.  Now 
some  would  be  glad  to  find  the  pillars  which  sustain  it, 
and  grasp  and  feel  them.  The  other  was  this — I  saw 
great  thick  clouds  hanging  above  us  with  such  weight 
that  they  might  be  compared  to  a  great  sea;  and  yet  I 
saw  no  ground  on  which  they  rested  and  no  vessel 
wherein  they  were  contained;  yet  they  did  not  fall  on 
us,  but  saluted  us  with  harsh  look,  and  fled  away.  As 
they  pass  away,  a  rainbow  shines  forth  on  the  ground 
and  on  our  roof.  — Martin  Luther. 

I  believe  in  order  that  I  may  understand.     — Anselm. 

And  they  that  ascribe  all  unto  God,  what  good  soever 
they  have  received,  seek  not  glory  one  of  another,  but 
wish  for  that  glory  which  is  from  God  alone;  and  desire 
above  all  things  that  God  may  be  praised  in  Himself  and 
in  all  His  saints;  and  are  always  tending  to  this  very 
thing.  — A.  Kempis. 

What  are  the  mysteries?  They  are  the  mountain 
peaks  of  revelation  lost  in  the  clouds.         — Remensnyder. 

39 


Isa.  45:15. 


40  CHOSEN  OF  COD 

Negligent  ia   mihi   vitle<ur.  si,  postquam  confirmati  in 
fide,  non  studemus  quod  crcdinm.s  intelligcrc.     — Anselm. 

Human  reason  and  divine  wisdom  never  col- 
lide. Like  tlie  lliu^lit  of  a  sparrow  and  that  of 
No  conflict  ^^^  ea<^le  they  move  on  diiTL-rent 
rlasor and  V^^^^<^^-  An  event  may  be  .stran-e  in 
revelation,  ^i^q  senso  that  the  w^isdom  of  man 
would  not  have  planned  it,  but  it  is  not  strange 
that  God  should  do  anything  tliat  He  does. 
Before  vre  are  qualified  to  say  that,  we  must  be 
as  wise  and  as  holy  as  He.  His  judgments  may 
be  unsearchable  but  our  incapacity  to  compre- 
hend should  not  provoke  us  to  impatience. 
Our  hearts  may  sometimes  echo  the  words  of 
Isaiah,  "Verily  thou  art  a  God  that  liidest  thy- 
self," but  v/e  sliould  do  so  in  his  reverent  spirit, 
and  not  Jonah  like  be  dis^jleased  w^ith  the  mys- 
terious ways  of  divine  grace. 

In  seeking  to  understand  any  great  truth  of 
the  Scriptures,  like  the  one  that  has  been  unfolded 
An  element  i^  the  i^rcccding  chaj^ters,  it  is  enough 
inel^er'y'^^  to  sliow  that  liumau  rcasou  cannot 
great  truth     prove  it  false.     Difficulties  may  arise 

ofrevela^  f  "^ 

tion.  in   the   way   of   its    acceptance,   but 

greater  ones  beset  its  denial.     The  duty  of  the 
believer  is  not  to  prove  that  no  objection  can  be 


SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION  41 

brought  against  his  faith,  but  to  show  that,  in 
spite  of  not  unimportant  objections,  his  faith  is 
reasonable.  He  will  sooner  distrust  his  own 
l^owers  of  reasoning  than  question  a  clear 
statement  of  God's  Word.  He  will  say,  "  Wliat 
I  understand  of  divine  truth  is  so  good,  so  wise, 
so  beautiful,  that  I  will  not  question  the  good- 
ness, the  wisdom,  the  beauty  of  that  which  I  do 
not  comprehend."  And  he  will  specially  hold 
to  those  truths  which  minister  to  his  comfort 
and  growth.  To  reject  such  truths  because 
they  puzzle  the  intellect  would  be  like  a  man 
who  should  refuse  bread  because  he  did  not 
know  how-it  was  made. 

Man's  intellect  is  as  truly  on  probation  as  his 
heart  and  will.  He  shows  his  obedience  by 
submission  of  reason  to  revealed  truth  as  really 
as  by  submission  of   will   to  divine  ^^n's  mind 

on  trial  be- 

discipline.  The  thoughts  of  man  fore  God. 
need  chastening  as  well  as  his  passions.  If 
he  cannot  prove  affliction  to  be  unmerciful  no 
more  can  he  prove  mystery  to  be  untrue.  It  is 
unbelief  which  condemns  the  world.  Christ's 
charge  against  His  enemies  is,  "  Ye  will  not 
believe."  In  the  eighth  and  twelfth  chapters 
of  John's  gospel  our  Savior  returns  again  and 


John  12:18. 


Mk.T6:i6, 


John  S-4- 


42  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

again  to  this  rebellion  of  intellect  against  His 
teaching,  culminating  in  the  solemn  asseveration 
that  such  rebellion  will  rise  up  at  the  judgment 
to  condemn  unbelievers.  "  The  word  that  I 
have  spoken,  the  same  shall  judge  him  in  the 
last  day."  Loyalty  to  truth  is  one  capital  test 
of  character.  "  He  that  believeth  and  is  bap- 
tised shall  be  saved;  but  ho  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned."  If  faith  were  sight  there 
would  be  no  unbelievers.  If  doctrine  were  as 
demonstrable  as  mathematics  no  one  could 
doubt,  and  there  would  bo  no  merit  in  belief. 
Here  is  where  faith  comes  in.  The  hearty 
allegiance  of  the  intellect  to  the  mysteries  of 
redemption  is  palmary  proof  of  a  renewed 
heart.  "  This  is  tlie  victory  that  overcometh 
the  world,  even  our  faith." 

The  Christian  will  accept  the  Bible  as  his 
The  Bible  an  authority  in  matters  of  faith.  He 
auuiority.  wiU  prefer  the  declarations  of  God  to 
the  reasonings  of  man,  If  the  Scrij^tures  leave 
mysteries  unexplained  he  will  accept  the  myster- 
ies and  wait  for  the  explanation.  Hard  sayings 
he  may  meet,  but  he  will  not  deny  a  fact  in  or- 
der to  escaiie  a  difficulty.  In  this  attitude  he 
will  not  be  conscious  of  any   mental  bondage. 


SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION  43 

Reason  has  its  rights  in  determining  what  are 
the  claims  of  the  Bible  upon  its  confidence  as  a 
traveller  exercises  his  judgment  in  choosing  a 
guide  through  an  unknown  country.  The  trust- 
worthiness of  the  guide  having  been  proved 
the  only  rational  course  is  to  believe  his  word 
and  to  follow  his  leading.  We  do  not  accept 
the  Bible  on  condition  that  it  shall  teach  what 
seems  i)lauyible  to  our  finite  understanding. 
We  know  that  "  the  secret  things  belong  unto  Duct.  29:29. 
the  Lord  our  God,"  and  \yg  believe  that  a  reve- 
lation always  level  with  our  comprehension 
w^ould  lack  one  mark  of  insi^iration.  Truth 
makes  us  free — truth  which  we  cannot  compre- 
hend. It  releases  us  from  errors  into  which  our 
fallible   reason  falls.     "  Blessed   are   they   that   ,  , 

•^  John  20:29. 

have   not   seen   and  yet  have  believed."     Some 
things  we  do  not  care  to  understand. 

Not  Gabriel  asks  the  reason  why, 
Nor  God  the  reason  gives. 

Mystery  has  a  salutary  influence  upon  the 
spirit  of  man.  It  chastens  the  imagination,  and 
curbs  the  curiosity.  The  docile  Christian  is 
glad  to  be  a  receptive  pupil  under  divine  in- 
struction. He  who  limits  himself  to  the  dis- 
coveries and  the  deliverances  of  the  human  in- 


Rev.  22:17. 
John  6:37. 


U  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

tellect  is  the  real  bondman,  the  "  narrow  "  man. 
He  moves  in  a  limited  plane  of  thought.  He 
who  opens  his  mind  to  the  tuition  of  omniscience 
is  the  real  freeman. 

The  fact  of  election  as  taught  in  God's  Word, 
does  not  contradict  any  principle  of  righteous- 
God's  ness  or'  any  affirmation  of  reason. 
His  peop*ie  Certain  inferences  have  been  drawn, 
is  reasonable  certain  explanations  have  been  ven- 

and  rights 

eous.  turcd,  for  which  the  Bible  is  not  re- 

sponsible, and  which  we  are  not  bound  to  ac- 
cex-)t.  These  are  superfluities,  man's  devices. 
God's  truth  is  simply  this,  that  from  eternity 
He  has  chosen  the  redeemed,  has  provided  for 
their  spiritual  renewal  and  growth,  and  will 
finally  receive  them  to  eternal  blessedness  at 
His  right  hand.  This  truth  is  set  forth  in  the 
Book  which  abounds  in  invitations  to  the  sinner 
to  choose  the  way  01  life,  and  in  such  assertions 
as,  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of 
life  freely,"  "  and  Him  thai  comi  th  to  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out."  This  makes  it  evident 
that  the  door  of  heaven  is  not  shut  against  any. 
Nay,  is  it  not  evident  that  election  is  the  only 
I^ower  that  can  open  the  door  to  any?  For  if 
God  docs  not  first  choose  man,  man  will  never 


SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION  45 

choose  God.  To  this  electing  grace  every 
Christian,  burdened  for  souls,  appeals  in  the 
petition,  "  Thy  kingdom  come,  thy  will  be  done." 
When  man  pleads  with  God  for  a  work  of  grace 
in  the  hearts  of  unbelievers  faith  lays  hold  of 
the  sovereign  will.  How  instantly  all  objections 
to  this  exercise  of  the  divine  choice  vanish  when 
we  are  beseeching  God  to  save  our  dearest 
fi'iends.  So  clearly  do  v/e  see  truth  when  on 
our  knees. 

The  inspired  Word  vouchsafes  two  ,      ^    ^ 

^  Inspired 

explanations  of  the  truth  before  us.   Expiana- 
These  explanations  are   sumcient  tor 
fiiiite  reason  and  satisfy  reverent  faith.     They 
are  probably  ail  that  man  is  capable  of  appre- 
hending, and   certainly  all  that  it  is  best  for 
him  to  know. 

The  first  explanation  is  that  God  chooses  us 
"  according  to  the   good  pleasure  of  his   will." 
Of  some  things  we  can  only  say  that  i.  "  The 
God   does   them   because   to   ilim  it  ureofHis 
seems  best  to  do  them.     We  have  our 
Saviors   authority   for   thus    exi3laining    some 
mysteries.     "  Even  so.  Father:  for  so  it  seemed 
good  in  thy  sight."     The  apostle  Paul  api^lies 
this  explanation  to  God's  choice  of  His  people, 


Mat.  11:26. 


46  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

and  there  seems  to  be  warrant  for  it,  for  our 
Luke  12:32.  Savior  says  to  His  disciples,  "  Fear  not  little 
flock;  for  it  is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to 
give  you  the  kingdom."  For  reasons  unknown 
to  us,  but  sufficient  to  Himself,  He  names  us  as 
His,  creates  within  us  nev>^  hearts,  and  saves  us 
with  an  everlasting  salvation.  This  fact  came 
to  Paul,  as  it  must  come  to  all  Christians  who 
have  any  just  sense  of  personal  unworthiness, 
with  great  force.  The  apostle  to  the  Gentiles 
had  exi^erienced  the  fierce  i^ovver  of  sin.  He 
knew  how  much  God  had  forgiven  him.  Some 
men  might  detect  in  themselves  a  trace  of  self 
merit,  but  not  "the  chief  of  sinners."  He 
2  Tim.  1:9.  "  saved  us,  and  called  us  with  an  holy  calling,  not 
according  to  our  works,  but  according  to  his  own 
purpose  and  grace,  which  was  given  us  in  Christ 
Jesus  before  the  world  began."  Paul  was  not 
temx^ted  to  speculate  further.  If  you  ask  the 
man  who  once  set  out  for  Damascus  "  breathing 
out  threatenings  and  slaughter,"  why  he  was 
arrested  on  the  road  in  his  wickedness,  and  by 
the  grace  of  God  exalted  to  the  highest  spirit- 
ual blessedness,  he  can  only  murmur  "  the  good 
pleasure  of  his  will."  We  may  fairly  question 
whether  even   now   Paul   can   give  a  better  ex- 


SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION  47 

planation, — whether  as  he  stands  in  the  very 
presence  of  the  divine  glory,  and  sees  face  to 
face,  and  rejoices  in  the  grace  which  brought 
him  there,  he  is  not  lost  "  in  wonder, "  as  well 
as  in  "love  and  praise."  It  is  the  good x)leasure 
of  God's  will.  How  affectionately  Paul  always 
speaks  of  the  will  of  God.  Some  men  are  impa- 
tient, almost  resentful,  if  we  refer  anything  to 
the  irresponsible  pleasure  of  the  Almighty. 
They  even  permit  themselves  to  speak  of  His 
will  slightingly  as  if  it  were  sheer  volition,  arbi- 
trary and  unreasoning,  something  bound  to  give 
account  of  itself  to  human  intelligence.  Not 
so  Paul.  It,is  "  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and 
perfect  will  of  God."  We  are  taught  to  pray, 
"  Thy  will  be  done."  Can  we  sincerely  offer  that 
petition  and  yet  refuse  to  accept  that  will  as 
the  final  ground  of  God's  dealing  with  us?  Are 
we  to  reject  it  as  a  sufficient  explanation  of  God's 
action  the  moment  that  action  seems  strange? 
Can  we  hoi^e  to  "  understand  what  the  will  of 
the  Lord  is  "  concerning  us  if  we  decline  to  be- 
lieve in  this  first  act  of  His  will  in  our  spiritual 
experience?  Indeed,  it  is  the  most  comfort- 
ing assurance  concerning  anything  that  comes 
to   us  that  it   is    God's    will     concernino:     us. 


Roiu   12:2 


48  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Loving  faith  would  not  ask  more.  As  we  pon- 
der upon  this  mystery  of  grace,  that  God  has 
bestowed  upon  us  the  unmerited  mercies  of  re- 
demption, we  are  again  and  again  forced  back 
to  Paul's  thought,  "  the  good  pleasure  of  His 
will."  There  is  a  verisimilitude  in  the  explana- 
tion which  satisfies  our  reason  and  comforts  our 
faith. 

The  second  inspired  ex]planation  is  that  hu- 
man redemption  glorifies  God.  He  saves  us  for 
"3.  The  His  own  glory.  God's  glory  is  the 
glory."  final  end,  as  it  is  the  only  worthy  end 

Rom.  11:36.  of  all  His  acts.  "  Of  him,  and  through  him, 
and  to  him,  are  all  things."  This  one  great  end 
does  not  exclude  subordinate  ends,  but  compre- 
hends and  secures  them.     Of  the  believer  God 

isa.  43  7.  affirms,  "  I  have  created  him  for  my  glory." 
Nothing  exists  for  itself,    and    nothing  finds 

^  ,      ,       within  itself  its  reason  for  being.     "  All  things 

Col.  1:16. 

Rev.  4:11  ^y(.j.g  created  by  him,  and  for  him."  Christ 
tells  His  disciples  that  the  end  of  their  right- 
eousness is  God's  glory.  "  Herein  is  my  Fath- 
er glorified  that  ye  bear  much  fruit."  "  Let 
^  '  ^'^  '  your  light  so  shine  before  men,  that  they  may 
see  your  good  works,  and  glorify  your  Father 
which  is  in  heaven."     Christians  are  to  live  holy 


SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION  49 

lives  not  chiefly  for  their  own  sake,  not 
primarily  for  the  sake  of  their  fellow  men,  but 
for  the  sake  of  God,  "  that  they  might  be 
called  trees  of  righteousness,  the  planting  of  the 
Lord,  that  He  might  be  glorified."  So  too  all 
miracles  are  wrought  for  God's  glory.  John 
says  of  the  first  miracle  of  our  Loixl  that  by  it 
he  ''manifested  forth  II is  glory."  The  same  J^h"  2:11. 
was  true  of  all  His  works.  And,  as  Luther  de- 
clares, the  spiritual  miracles  are  greatest.  The 
conversion  of  a  soul  is  a  mightier  work  than  the 
raising  of  Lazarus.  Our  salvation  is  a  sjDirit- 
ual  miracle.  As  such  it  manifests  forth  God's 
power,  mercy,  love.  It  is  a  spectacle  to  men  and 
angels.  It  causes  joy  in  heaven.  By  it  God  is 
exalted.  "Sing,  O  ye  heavens;  for  the  Lord 
hath  done  it;  shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth.  ^^^'  ^^'^■^ 
break  forth  into  singing,  ye  mountains,  O  for- 
est, and  every  tree  therein:  for  the  Lord  hath 
redeemed  Jacob,  and  glorified  himself  in  Israel." 
God  claims  this  honor  to  Himself.     "  I,  even  I, 

Isa.  43:25. 

am  he  that  blotteth   out   thy   trangressions   for 

mine  own  sake,  and  will  not  remember  thy  sins." 

He  shows   His  perfections  in   the  forgiveness 

of   sin.     To   every  chosen  one  He  says, '•  Even  Rom.  9:17. 

for  this   same   jjurpose   have  I  raised  thee  up, 


Ezek.  30:22. 


Rev.  7:10. 


Eph 


50  SCRIPTURAL  EXPLANATION 

that  -  might  show  my  power  in  thee,  and  that 
my  name  might  be  declared  throughout  all  tiie 
earth."  Why  did  God  choose  us?  "  I  do  not 
^^6o:fl?^"  this  for  your  sakes,  O  house  of  Israel,  but  for 
mine  holy  name's  sake."  The  believer  may 
think  of  his  personal  election  as  one  harmonious 
note  in  the  great  anthem  of  i^raise  which  fills 
heaven  with  melody,  ascribing  "  Salvation  to 
our  God  which  sittoth  upon  the  throne,  and  un- 
to the  Lamb."  This  is  the  Scrix^tural  explana- 
tion of  our  being  chosen  of  God, ''  that  we  should 
be  to  the  i^raise  of  his  glory."  The  hapjjiness 
of  the  redeemed  is  secured  but  is  not  the  high- 
est end.  Greater  even  than  the  joy  of  being 
saved  is  the  joy  of  knowing  that  God's  glory  is 
promoted  by  our  salvation.  The  apostle  Peter 
dwells  on  this  thought.  "  Ye  are  a  chosen  gen- 
eration, a  royal  j)riesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a 
l^eculiar  people;  tlifit  ye  should  shew  forth  the 
praises  of  him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  dark- 
ness into  his  marvellous  light."  Hov/  can  I  ask 
for  a  more  satisfying  exijlanation  of  God's 
choice  of  me?  My  poor  life  is  being  so  ordered 
as  to  conduce  to  the  glory  of  God.  My  eter- 
nal happiness  will  be  secured  but  that  too  will 
glorify   my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.     Thus 


Pet.  2;c;. 


CHOSEN  OF  GOD  51 

in  some  sense  I  may  share  in  His  glory,  and 
have  some  faint  conception  of  what  Christ 
meant  when  He  prayed,  "  And  now,  O  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the 
glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world 
was." 


John  17:5. 


Chapter  V. 

EVIDENCES  OF  BEING  CHOSEN  OF 
GOD. 


We  have  no  right  to  judge  of  election  but  by  sanctifi- 
cation.  How  do  I  know  that  I  am  one  of  God's  elect? 
By  steadily  and  peraeveringly  living  an  obedient  and 
holy  life— this  is  what  I  must  do  in  time  if  I  would  be 
assured  for  eternity.  The  heaven  of  holiness  begun 
hero  is  evidence  of  fitness  for  the  heaven  of  happiness 
hereafter.  — Rowland  Hill. 

He  that  loves  may  be  sure  that  he  was  loved  first; 
and  he  that  chooses  God  for  his  delight  and  portion  may 
conclude  confidently  that  God  hath  chosen  him  to  be  one 
of  those  who  shall  enjoy  Him  forever.  — Salter. 

I  have  not  for  an  instant  ever  had  the  slightest  doubt 
that  I  am  an  accepted  sinner  and,  if  I  have  to  take  leave 
of  all  else,  I  shall  never  have  to  part  from  Thee,  my 
Savior.  — Theodore  Ghristlieb. 

When  I  cannot  enjoy  the  faith  of  assurance  I  live  by 
the  faith  of  adherence.  — Mattheiv  Henry. 

Every  person  who  cherishes  a  hoi^e  that  he  is 
chosen  of  God  will  seek  the  grounds  of  that 
hope.     How  can   ho   know   tliat   his 

^  The  Icnjjing 

name  is  written  in  the  Book  of  Life?  for  christian 

.         ,  1       ji        assurance. 

The  tact  that  ho  anxiously  asks  the 

question  is  one  evidenpe.     The  existence  of  this 

52 


EVIDENCES   OF  BEING  CHOSEN  58 

hope,  however  slight  and  wavering,  is  another. 
If  he  cannot  gain  the  full  assurance  which  he 
covets,  let  him  not  feel  that  his  hope  is  vain. 
Some  of  the  worthiest  disciples  of  Christ  have 
never  been  granted  that  triumphant  confidence 
in  their  personal  salvation  which  Paul  likens  to 
an  anchor  "  both  sure  and  steadfast."  Edward 
Payson  is  a  conspicuous  example.  He  was  pe- 
culiarly honored  in  winning  souls  to  Christ,  but 
to  the  day  of  his  death  was  distressed  with  mis- 
givings as  to  his  acceptance  with  God.  With 
many  Christians  assurance  is  not  constant.  It 
sometimes  flashes  brightly  like  a  beacon  light 
on  a  rocky  coast  and  then  grows  dim  in  the 
darkness.  Even  Paul  hints  at  the  loossibility  of 
himself  becoming  a  castaway.  It  is  possible  to 
give  too  much  time  and  thought  to  this  ques- 
tion. We  are  gratefully  to  accept  such  evi- 
dences as  God  sees  fit  to  bestow.  We  are  to 
bend  our  chief  energies  to  doing  God's  will.  In 
good  time  we  shall  know  this  doctrine.  His 
work  is  begun  within  us — else  we  had  no  hope 
and  no  solicitude  as  to  our  salvation.  There  is, 
however,  a  certain  warrant  of  the  Christian's 
hope.  He  may  anticipate  and  even  claim  cer- 
tain evidences  that  he  is  chosen  of  God. 


jcr  2) 


54:  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

In  the  first  j)lace  the  chosen  one  is  conscious 
of  purposes,  desires,  and  emotions,  which  he  did 
I.  TheChris=  ^^^  ori<T^inato.  New  feelings  toward 
tian  has  been  Qhrist  have  arisen  within  him.     The 

enabled  and 

persuaded  to  heart  has  e^one  out  in  love  and  long- 
the  Son  of  ing  toward  God.  The  motive  to  serve 
^^^'  and  to  please  Christ  has  sprung  up. 

The  will  has  chosen  a  new  path.  Sin  seems 
more  sinful.  It  grieves  the  Christian  that  he 
grieves  God.  He  no  longer  has  confidence  in 
his  own  merit  and  his  own  strength.  Christ  ap- 
pears as  the  only  Savior  from  the  penalty  and 
the  power  of  sin,  The  old  life  seems  more  and 
more  selfish,  and  the  new  life  is  increasingly 
attractive.  Aspirations  which  can  be  breathed 
into  the  ear  of  God  alone  fill  the  soul. 

This  is  spiritual  life.  It  does  not  create  itself 
any  more  than  physical  life  is  self^created.  All 
our  springs  are  in  God.  These  sentiments  and 
experiences  come  from  Him.  He  has  fulfilled 
His  promise,  "I  will  give  them  an  heart  to  know 
me."  It  is  a  communicated  knowledge.  What 
man  gains  God  must  give.  If  I  have  chosen 
Him  it  is  because  He  first  chose  me.  My  elec- 
tion of  Him  in  time  is  evidence  of  His  election 
of  me  in  eternity.     I  would  never  have  accepted 


EVIDENCES   OF  BEING  CHOSEN  55 

Him  had  not  He  previously  accepted  me  in  the 
Beloved.  Whenever  a  sinful  life  is  arrested, 
and  there  comes  to  the  mind  a  perception  of  the 
grace  of  the  gospel,  and  to  the  heart  a  desire  for 
holiness,  that  life,  that  mind,  that  heart  have 
been  touched  and  quickened  by  the  mighty 
power  of  God.  The  Christian  has  indeed  chosen, 
but  it  was  his  choice  only  because  it  was  first 
God's  choice.  God  has  "  worked  in  him  to  will." 
The  believer  has  cherished  new  feelings,  guarded 
them,  encouraged  them,  but  he  did  not  bring 
them  into  existence.  They  came  down  from 
heaven.  They  at  once  distinguish  him  from 
Ihe  great  mass  of  men  who  have  no  such  desires. 
They  are  signs  of  the  work  of  grace  within  him, 
as  really  as  flowers  are  evidences  of  the  hidden 
working  forces  of  nature.  If  he  is  conscious  of 
such  religious  experiences  he  may  rest  assured 
that  God  has  chosen  him  as  an  heir  of  grace. 

This  quickening  of  the  soul's  life  has  been  at- 
tended by  peculiar  leadings  of  providence  which 
may  confirm  the  believer's  confidence  j.TheChris- 
in  his  election  by  God.     If  we  could  tian's  steps 

''  have  been 

look  behind  the  veil  which  hides  the  providen= 
meaning  of  the  commonest  events  of  toward  con= 
life  we  should  doubtless  discover  that  ^'^'■^'°"* 


rhil.2:i3. 


Job  14:16. 


56  CHOSEN  OF  GOV 

all  of  God's  dealings  with  the  unconverted  are 
designed  to  lead  them  to  repentance.  "Thou 
numberest  my  stops;  dost  thou  not  watch  over 
my  sin?",  says  Job.  This  is  the  swift  argument 
of  a  devout  mind  reasoning  from  the  fact  of 
God's  care  to  the  certainty  of  God's  grace.  We 
cannot  cut  the  divine  ministry  in  two  and  say 
that  it  numbers  our  steps  without  reference  to 
our  sin.  Our  path  is  so  ordered  as  to  lead  us 
away  from  evil.  Providence  waits  on  grace. 
^  When  Christ  declares  that  God  marks  the  fall 

of  a  sparrow  He  starts  a  train  of  reasoning 
which  will  not  stop  until  it  reaches  Calvary.  If 
a  sparrow,  much  more  man;  if  man  physically, 
mucli  more  spiritually.  Thus  Paul  reasons. 
Rom.  8:28.  "All  things  work  together  " — that  is  providence 
— "for  good  to  them  that  love  God" — that  is 
grace,  the  two  clasj^ing  hands  in  a  single  verse. 
God  governs  the  world  for  religious  ends,  and 
He  numbers  our  steps  with  a  view  to  our  sal- 
vation from  sin.  Many  a  Christian  can  remem- 
ber striking  and  special  providences  in  connec- 
tion with  his  conversion,  how  he  was  guided  in 
a  peculiar  manner,  how  his  movements  were 
strangely  over  ruled,  how  events  were  brought 
to  pass  as  if  everything  were  combining  for  his 


EVIDENCES  OF  BEING  CHOSEN  67 

personal  redemption.     God  was  numbering  his 
steps  and  watching  over  his  sin.     Every  act  of 
providence  is  potentially  and  intentionally  an 
act  of  grace.     After  a  revival   of  religion  many 
a  convert  is  heard  to  testify  to  a  chain  of  cir- 
cumstances,  over  which  he  seemed  to  have  no 
control,   which  bore  him  onward,   or  to  some 
event  which   aroused   him  and  turned  him  to 
Christ.     Thousands  of  renewed  souls  have  taken 
the  journey  to  Damascus.    By  chance  one  comes 
to  the  place  where  he  gives  himself  away  in  ever- 
lasting bonds.    He  is  conscious  of  an  irresistible 
impulse  moving  him  to  repentance.    He  remem- 
bers the  'time.        He  often  recalls  it  as  the 
moment  of  the  new  birth.     ''What  a   striking 
thing  that  is,  "says  Dr.  Storrs"  in  the  crowded 
and  radiant  Gospel  of  John,  full  of  sublimest 
discourses  and  events,  when  he  says  in  sx^eaking 
of  his  first  meeting  with  the  Master:   "It  was 
about  the  tenth  hour."    About  the  tenth   hour? 
Why  put  so  unimportant  a   circumstance  into 
a  Gospel  so  brief  at  best,  and  where  sublime 
things  have  hardly  room?    There  is  nothing 
strange  in  it.     John  could  not  forget  and  must 
insert  it.     It  was  the  first  time  he  had  talked 
with  Him  whose  love  and  wisdom  became  there- 


58  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

after  his  inspiration  in  life,  and  death,  and  the 
hereafter;  and  the  very  moment  was  vivid  still 
before  his  recollection.  He  remembered  just 
how  high  the  sun  was  above  the  Western  Med- 
itterranean  at  the  supreme  point  in  his  experi- 
ence.  He  remembers  it  now.  So  there  are 
moments  in  the  experience  of  many  when  they 
heard  from  the  pulpit  words  of  power,  declaring 
to  them  God's  love  in  Christ,  which  will  be 
memorable  to  them  forever,  as  long  as  the  issues 
of  the  choices  which  they  made  continue  to  un- 
fold." 

God  makes  skilful  use  of  the  ele- 

Grace  often  .        .      , 

takes  us  meut  ot  surpnse  m  human  experience. 
unawares.  ^^  ^^-^^  concealments  He  plans  that 
we  shall  ever  be  coming  \^\}o\^  unexpected 
things.  This  is  true  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
It  is  a  treasure  hid  in  a  field.  Often  the  finder 
is  not  seeking  it.  The  man  who  wrote,  "  Rock 
of  Ages,"  Augustus  Toplady,  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen wandered  into  a  barn  in  an  obscure  part  of 
Ireland  to  hear  an  illiterate  layman  preach. 
Eph2:i3.  The  text  was,  "Ye  who  sometimes  were  far  off 
are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ."  The 
sermon  made  upon  him  an  unexpected  impres- 
sion,   and    led   to   his    immediate  conversion. 


EVIDENCES   OF  BEING  CHOSEN  59 

"  Strange,"  he  wrote  in  his  diary,  "that  I,  who 
had  so  long  been  under  the  means  of  grace  in 
Enghmd,  should  be  brought  nigh  to  God  in  an 
obscure  part  of  Ireland,  amidst  a  handful  of 
God's  people  met  together  in  a  barn,  and  under 
the  ministry  of  one  who  could  hardly  spell  his 
name."  Charlotte  Elliott,  wdio  wrote  the  liynm, 
"Just  as  I  am,"  w^as  asked  by  a  friend  at  asocial 
gathering  if  she  were  a  Christian.  She  gave  a 
sharp  reply.  But  the  message  had  gone  to  her 
heart,  and  soon  she  went  to  the  friend  to  ask 
how  she  could  find  Christ.  "  Come  just  as  you 
are."  "What!  just  as  I  am?"  she  exclaimed. 
Not  long  after  this  she  wrote  the  hymn  which  is 
sung  the  world  over. 

It  is  not  given  to  every  Christian  to  re- 
call so  definitely  the  moment  of  his  first  meet- 
ing with  his  Savior,  Nor  is  it  necessary.  But 
perhaps  every  one  may  be  able  to  mark  the  pro- 
vidential hand  of  God  in  his  conversion.  He 
h-as  therein  a  peculiar  and  precious  proof  that 
God  has  chosen  him.  Thus  the  acts  of  provi- 
dence become  a  comforting  conmientary  on  the 
purposes  of  grace.  Events  have  been  manifest- 
ly, perhai)S  strikingly,  ordered  fur  the  good  of 
the  chosen  one,  and  though  at  the  lime  he   did 


60  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

not  see  it,  yet  as  he  looks  back  upon  his  ctjiirso 
he  can  hear  God  say  to  him,  "  I  have  even  called 
isa.  4S:4.5.  ^|jy^  |jy  ^]^y  nanic:  I  have  surnamed  thee  though 
thou  hast  not  known  me.  I  girded  thee,  though 
thou  hast  not  known  me.  "  Let  him  take  the  com- 
fort of  this  assurance.  He  is  chosen  of  God.  To 
save  his  soul  from  sin,  to  clothe  it  in  the  spot- 
less robe  of  Christ's  righteousness,  to  prepare  it 
for  companionship)  with  God  forever,  is  a  work 
so  glorious  that  divine  wisdom  has  jjlanned  it, 
and  divine  pov/erhas  executed  it.  And  the  sub- 
*  ject  of  this  wondrous  grace  has  been  vouchsafed 
a  glimxDse  of  the  divine  hand  engaged  in  the 
work. 

There  is  a  group  of  evidences  which  gather 

^,   ^,  .      about  an  active  Christian  life.     Why 

tian's  Inner    tjiiQuld  a  pcrsou  find  prayer  a  comfort 

spiritual  life 

testifies  to  and  a  necessity  ?  Why  should  he  de- 
ancrwith  light  to  study  the  Bible  and  to  feed 
^'*'^*  on  its  teachings?      Wliy   should  he 

wish  to  confess  Christ  before  men?  Why  should 
he  enjoy  fellowship  with  God's  people,  and  take 
pleasure  in  public  worship?  Why  should  he 
feel  burdened  for  the  conversi(jn  of  friends  and 
neighbors?  Why  should  he  rejoice  in  revivals 
of  religion?     Why  should  he  leave   home   and 


EVIDENCES   OF  BEING  CHOSEN  61 

friends  and  go  to  Africa  or  China  to  toll  ignorant 
and  brutal  people  of  the  love  of  Christ?  "Be- 
cause he  is  a  Christian,"  it  may  be  rei)lied. 
True,  but  there  is  an  answer  back  of  that  an- 
swer. He  did  not  make  himself  a  Christian. 
Every  evidence  that  he  has  become  a  discij)le  of 
Christ  is  equal  proof  that  he  has  been  chosen  of 
God,  for  our  Lord  Himself  says,  "  No  man  can 
come  to  me,  except  the  Father  which  hath  sent  65. 
me  draw  him."  The  true  answer,  therefore,  is 
that  he  who  is  conscious  of  these  inner  cxi^eri- 
ences  has  been  divinely  appointed  unto  salva- 
tion. "He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God 
hath  the  witness  in  himself."  All  these  tokens  ^^°hn5:io. 
of  the  grace  that  is  bearing  fruit  within  him  are 
evidences  that  God  has  foreordained  him  to 
eternal  life.  If  he  is  trying  to  walk  worthy  of 
his  high  calling  he  is  a  son  of  God  by  God's 
own  choice.  If  his  service  seems  to  himself 
very  inadequate,  and  his  life  imperfect,  and  his 
love  to  Christ  sluggish,  this  holy  dissatisfaction 
with  himself  is  an  added  proof  that  he  is  an 
heir  of  grace.  Let  him  not  be  disheartened. 
"Though  faint,  yet  pursuing,"  let  him  press  for- 
ward in  the  assurance  that  God  has  named  his 


62  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

name,  and  imparted  to  him  a  relish  for  the  things 
of  Christ,  and  a  heart  for  His  service. 

The  crowning  evidence  is  the  witness  of  the 

Rom.  8:i6.    ^  ^^^  ^^.^^     Spirit.     Paul  says,  "  The  Spirit  itself 
nessofthe      bcaretli  witness  with    our  spirit,  that 
''"^'  *  we  are  the  children  of  God."     This 

is  the  inward  assurance  which  the  believer  has 
that  in  spite  of  his  un worthiness  Christ  has 
chosen  him  and  dwells  in  him.     "  Hereby  know 

I  John  4 13  ^y^3  j^ijr^i;  ^yy  dwcll  iu  lilm,  aud  he  in  us,  because 
he  hath  given  us  of  his  Spirit."  When  the  dis- 
ciple feels  within  himself  this  confidence— either 
with  the  timid  trust  which  says,   "  Lord,  I  be- 

Mark9:24-  \{qyq^  ^gip  thou  mine  unbelief,"  or  with  the  bold 
faith  which  proclaims,  "  I  know  whom  I  have 
believed," — there  is  the  warrant  of  his  hope.  The 
Spirit  cannot  testify  a  lie.  The  believer  is 
"  sealed  with  that  Holy  Spirit  of  promise,  which 
^^'  is  the  earnest  of  our  inheritance." 

We  have  then  only  to  ask  ourselves  whether 
we  have  this  new  love  which  calls  God,  Father. 
Has  He  so  made  Himself  known  in  Jesus  Christ 
to  our  souls  that  we  have  become  conscious  of  a 
new  and  intimate  relationship?  Then  the  Holy 
Spirit  and  our  spirit  bear  concurrent  testimony 
that   we   are   His   by   adoption.      For,    to    the 


2  Tim.  1:12. 


Eph.i:i3, 


EVIDENCES   OF  BEING  CHOSEN  63 

Romans  Paul  says,  "  Ye  have  received  the  Spirit 

of  adoi)tion,   whereby  we   cry,  Abba,   Father."   Rom-  8:15. 

It  is  the  same  cry  uttered  by  the  renewed  heart 

and   the   witnessing   Spirit.     "  Because  ye   are 

sons,  God  hath  sent  forth  the  SjDirit  of  his  Son  Gai.  4:6. 

into   your   hearts,   crying  Abba,  Father."     Wo 

could  not  say  that  God  is  our  Father  had  not 

the  Spirit  assured  us  of  the  relationship.     Our 

cry  is  the  echo  of  his. 

We  must  not  be  disheai'tened  if  we  cannot 
altogether  understand  this  inner  wit-  Explanations 
ness,  nor  fully  express  it  to  others,  "^possible. 
Spiritual  life,  like  physical  life,  cannot  be  ex- 
l^lained.  3Ve  can  be  conscious  of  it,  we  can 
XX)int  to  manifestations  of  it,  but  if  your  friend 
asks,  "  How,  after  all,  do  you  know  that  you  are 
alive?"  you  can  ordy  reijly,  "  I  am  conscious  of 
life."  This  is  an  ultimate  fact.  Eye  cannot  see 
these  experiences  which  make  up  life  in  Christ, 
ear  cannot  hear  them,  but  they  are  revealed  to 
us  by  the  Spirit.  We  cannot  go  back  of  con- 
sciousness. If  a  man  is  a  new  creature  in  Christ 
he  knows  it.  He  may  seek  more  complete  assur- 
ance, or  perhaps  we  should  say,  a  more  vivid 
sense  of  his  sonship. 

Indeed,  it  is  one  of  the  duties  of  the  Christian 


John  3:8. 


64  CHOSEN  OF   GOD 

to  make  his  calling  and  election  sure,  in  his  own 
faith.  His  devotion  and  his  usefulness  will  be 
greatly  affected  by  the  degree  in  which  he  feels 
himself  to  be  a  disciple  "  by  the  will  of  God." 
The  stronger  his  sense  of  having  been  chosen  of 
God  the  more  fervid  will  be  his  consecration. 
Satan  is  ever  on  the  alert  to  trouble  him  with 
doubts.  The  Spirit  cannot  always  gain  un- 
hindered access  to  his  spirit.  "  The  wind  blow- 
eth  where  it  listeth,"  but  is  ever  ready  to  come 
in  at  the  open  window.  We  are,  therefore,  to 
•  watch  unto  prayer,  to  be  ever  ready  for  special 

visitations,  to  resist  and  to  pray  against  misgiv- 
ings, to  rejoice  when  our  assurance  is  clear  and 
firm,  and  in  times  of  comparative  darkness  to 
Mat.  28:9.  "  hold  him  by  the  feet,"  and  to  wait  in  the  pa- 
tience of  hope.  Sometimes  it  is  our  sin  which 
veils  from  us  the  face  of  God.  At  other  times 
God  is  testing  our  faith.  In  any  case  we  are  to 
heed  His  loving  admonition.  "  Who  is  among 
you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the  voice 
of  his  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness,  and 
hath  no  light?  let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  and  stay  upon  his  God." 


Isa.  50:10. 


PART  II. 

CORRELATED  TRUTHS, 


Chapter  VI. 
CONVERSION. 


You  can't  manufacture  man  any  more  than  you  can 
manufacture  gold.  You  can  find  him,  and  refine  him; 
you  dig  him  out  as  he  is,  nugget  fashion,  in  the  moun- 
tain stream;  you  bring  him  home,  and  you  make  him  into 
current  coin  or  hou.'^ehold  plate,  but  not  one  grain  of  him 
can  you  originally  produce.  — Ruskin. 

There  are  those  in  whom  the  life  of  God  has  begun 
so  early,  so  sweetly,  and  so  gradually,  that  they  can  no 
more  tell  when  they  l)egan  to  know  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
as  their  Savior  than  they  can  tell  when  they  first  saw 
their  mother's  smile.  — Monocl. 

God  draws,  bnt  he  draws  the  compliant  one. 

— Melancfhon. 

Every  day  from  my  window  I  see  the  gulls  makir.g 
circuits  and  beating  against  the  north  wind.  Now  they 
mount  high  above  the  masts  of  the  vessels  in  the  stream, 
and  then  suddenly  drop  to  the  water's  edge,  seeking  to 
find  some  eddy  unobstructed  by  the  steady  blowing  blast; 
till  at  length  abandoning  their  efforts  they  turn  and  fly 
with  the  wind;  and  how  like  a  gleam  of  light  do  their 
white  wings  flash  down  the  bay  faster  than  the  eye  can 
follow.  So  when  we  cease  to  resist  God's  divine  influences 
and,  turning  toward  Him,  our  thoughts  and  feelings  are 
upborne  by  the  breath  of  His  Spirit,  how  do  they  make 
such  swift  heavenward   flights  as  no  words   can   overtake. 

— Beecher. 

Because  I  seek  Thee  not,  oh  seek  Thou  me. 
Because  my  lips  are  dumb,  oh  hear  the  cry 
I  do  not  utter,  as  Thou  passest  )jy. 
And  from  my  Hfe^long  bondage  set  me  free. 

67 


68  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 


Because  content,  I  perish,  fav  from  Thee, 
Oh  seize  me,  sniitch  mo  from  my  fate,  and  try 
My  soul  iii  Tliy  consuming  tire.     Draw  nigh, 
And  let  me  blinded  Thy  salvation  see. 

If  I  were  pouring  at  Thy  feet  my  tears, 
If  I  were  clamoring  toseo  Thy  face, 
I  would  not  need  Thee,  Lord,  as  now  I  need. 
Whose  dumb  dead  soul  knows  neither  hopes 

nor  fears. 
Nor  dreads  the  outer  darkness  of  this  place — 
Because  I  seek  not,  pray  not,  give  Thou  heed. 

— Louise  Chandler  Moulton. 

We   may   think  of  a  father  intent  upon  the 
Illustration     hapiiiness   and  success  of  a  beloved 

of  how  Qod's  ^  ^ 


choice  be=  SOU.  In  his  own  mind  he  has  abeady 
choice.  fixed  upon  a  phm  for  the  life  of  the 

lad.  He  desires  him  to  enter  upon  a  certain 
vocation.  To  secure  tlr's  result  he  brings  to 
bear  all  possible  influences  upon  his  son's  mind 
and  heart.  He  directs  his  education  with 
the  cherished  object  in  view.  He  sjjeaks  favor- 
ably of  the  proi)osed  trade  or  iDrofession.  He 
watches  the  boy's  ax^titudes  and  tendencies,  and 
strives  to  guide  them  in  the  desired  direction. 
His  own  wish  and  effort  is  to  mould  the  young 
life  into  that  form  wdiich  satisfies  his  own  ideal. 
In  due  time  the  son  comes  of  age.  He  must 
enter  ui^on  his  life's  work.  To  his  father's 
great  joy  he  cliooses  that  vocati(^ii  iip(^ii  which 
the  father  had  set  his  heart.     In  thus  choosing, 


CONVERSION  69 

the  young  man  is  conscious  of  no  constraint 
upon  his  will.  The  decision  is  left  with  him- 
self, and  he  freely  makes  his  choice,  and  enters 
upon  its  accomplishment.  And  now  he  learns 
that  this  has  been  his  father's  will  concerning 
him  from  the  beginning.  He  discovers  that 
parental  love  all  along  has  shaped  his  young 
life  to  the  very  result  which  appears  in  his  own 
free  choice.  What  is  his  feeling?  Certainly 
one  of  deepening  gratitude  that  he  was  not  left 
to  his  youthful  impulses  in  choosing  his  path. 
And  as  he  grows  in  years,  and  becomes  more 
fully  satisfied  with  his  chosen  calling,  he  will 
more  deeply  apioreciate  the  love  and  wisdom 
which  denied  him  the  false  freedom  of  unbridled 
inclinations,  and  secured  to  him  the  true  liber- 
ty of  worthy  desires.  And  if  asked  who 
chose  for  him  his  way,  he  will  reply,  "My  father 
chose  it  for  me.     I  chose  it  myself." 

Such  an  event  which  has  occurred  substan- 
tially thousands  of  times,  fairly  illus- 

Regenera- 

trates  the  bearing  of  God's  choice  of  tion  and 
us   upon   our   choice   of  Him.      We 
have   only   to   remember   that   God's  choice  is 
eternal,   and   that   His    resources   for   shaping 
our   course   are   infinite.      The    earthly   father 


70  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

might  not  infallibly  secure  his  end;  the  heav- 
enly Father  cannot  fail.  Having  chosen  He 
overrules  events  to  the  accomplishment  of  His 
will.  His  choice  becomes  the  sinner's  choice, 
and  that  is  conversion.  There  is  God's  act; 
there  is  man's  act.  There  is  free  grace;  there 
is  free  will.  It  is  not  necessary  to  try  to  "recon- 
cile "  these  two  factors.  They  are  harmonized 
in  the  exi^erience  of  every  converted  heart.  Do 
n^t  proclaim  the  one  from  the  housetoiD  and 
whisper  the  other  in  the  closet.  Each  is  wholly 
true.  Each  rests  upon  incontestable  evidence. 
The  Christian  is  conscious  that  he  freely  chose 
God  at  the  time  of  his  conversion.  He  is  just 
as  conscious  that  something  was  done  in  him  at 
the  time  which  he  did  not  do.  These  two  pil- 
lars rest  upon  one  foundation  and  sujDport  the 
arch  of  his  hoi)e.  Do  we  then  fully  compre- 
hend that  change  in  the  soul's  life  which  we 
call  conversion?  No  more  than  we  comprehend 
the  soul  itself.  Fully  explain  your  conversion 
and  you  never  were  converted.  Neither  can 
we  comprehend  ilie  light  of  day  and  the  sight 
of  the  eyes.  ].^»ut  we  know  what  it  is  to  see. 
Results  we  apprehend.  And  wo  know  that 
this  result  which  wo  name  conversion  has  been 


CONVERSTON  71 

secured   through   the  action  of  God's  will  and 
our  own. 

This  view  of  conversion   is  presented    with 
great  beauty  and  force  in  the  Script-   ^^^  g^^.. 
ures.     "Thy  people  shall  be  willing  turaiviewof  Ps.  110:3. 

conversion. 

in  the  day  of  thy  power."  Man's  will- 
ingness and  God's  power  are  associated.  God's 
act  initiates  man's  action.  The  insjoired  writers 
arc  conscious  of  no  contradiction.  God's  j)ower 
secures  man's  willingness,  and  man's  willingness 
gives  opportunity  to  God's  power.  When  Christ 
is  ready  and  man  is  ready,  nothing  can  x^revent 
the  blessed  result.  "  Thy  people  offer  them- 
selves willingly  in  the  day  of  thy  power." 
Hundreds  of  revivals,  millions  of  conversions, 
illustrate  the  fact.  At  such  seasons  of  God's 
I^ower  the  chosen  ones  are  "  free-will  offerings." 
Their  willingness  is  not  a  negative  state  of  mind 
and  heart.  Spiritual  inertia  is  not  willingness. 
Non-resistance  is  not  willingness,  else  the 
church  at  Laodicea  was  a  willing  people.  Nor 
is  it  simply  approval  of  God's  purpose,  for  in 
that  case  Balaam  and  Meroz  and  the  young 
man  whom  Jesus  loved  were  willing.  Willing- 
ness is  active  co-oioeration  with  God's  plan. 
The  willing  man  wills  to  do  God's  will.     And 


John  6:44. 

4S.  ^'S. 


72  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

this  lie  does  because  GckI  worlieth  in  him  to  wi!l 
When  God's  chosen  on(\s  are  willing  it  is  11  i.'. 
free  and  almighty  grace  which  makes  them  p.o. 
This  is  the  "  day  of  his  ijower."  All  days  aif 
days  of  God's  power  in  the  sense  that  He  is 
ever  able  and  ready  to  save.  But  there  are 
special  occasions,  set  times  to  favor  Zion,  days 
of  visitation,  when  He  manifests  Himself  with 
unwonted  graciousness.  He  makes  His  peoj)le 
"  willing."  Men  begin  to  work  out  their  own 
salvation  when  God  works  in  them.  Human 
wills  are  quickened  by  the  divine  will,  not  de- 
stroying man's  freedom,  but  making  him  truly 
free.  The  artist  at  his  camera  prepares  the 
plate  for  receiving  the  picture.  The  light 
might  shine  forever  upon  the  unprepared  i^late 
without  result.  So  God  first  makes  willing 
those  whom  He  designs  to  make  holy. 

This  is  our  Saviors  explanation.  In  that 
wonderful  discourse  upon  the  way  of  life. 
Our  Savior  recorded  in  the  sixth  of  John,  He 
steeps 0/*''''  first  declares,  "  No  man  can  come  to 
conversion,  j^g^  exccpt  the  Father  which  hath 
sent  me  draw  him,"  and  then  adds,  "Every 
man  therefore  thnt  hath  heard,  and  hath  learned 
of  the  Father,  cometh  unto  me."     This   is  the 


CONVERSION  73 

progress  of  conversion.  First  the  Father  draws. 
The  chosen  one  hears  and  learns  and  comes  to 
Christ.  The  drawing  consists  of  all  those  s^jir- 
itual  influences  which  grace  brings  to  bear  uj)- 
on  the  soul.  There  is  a  tender  expression  of 
the  way  in  which  God  uses  this  power  in  the 
thirty  =  first  of  Jeremiah,  "  Yea,  I  have  loved 
thee  with  an  everlasting  love:  therefore  vvith  J^*^^'-^ 
loving  kindness  have  I  drawn  thee."  Here  the 
divine  drawing  rests  back  upon  everlasting 
love.  "As  many  as  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  Rom.S:i4. 
God  " — not  driven,  not  dragged — "  they  are  the 
sons  of  God."  "  He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  Ps.23.2. 
waters  "-divine  sovereignty  shepherding  hu- 
man willingness.  The  result  of  this  drawing  is 
beautifully  exjjressed  in  another  Scripture, 
"Draw  me,  we  will  run  after  thee."  Here  is  Cant.  1:4. 
the  fervid  prayer  for  God's  attracting  grace, 
and  the  promise  of  eager  pursuit.  "  We  will 
run  after  thee  " — determined  and  zealous  seek- 
ing of  God  on  man's  part.  Thus  Peter,  and 
Zaccheus,  and  the  jailer  at  Philipiji,  and  the 
Ethioi^ian  eunuch  were  drawn,  and  thus  they  ran 
after  God.  How  manifest  was  the  drawing  of 
grace  in  such  lives  as  Augustine's  and  Luther's 
and  John  Newton's  and  Finney's  and  how  i)er- 


74  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

sisteut  was  their  pursuit  of  holiness.  Yon  too, 
Clirlstiaii,  Avere  thus  drawn  ''with  loving  kind- 
ness."    Are  you  running  after  God? 

For  two  reasons  the  Christian,  in  thinking  of 
^.  .  ^.  his  conversion,  should  regard  it  first 

Christians  '  ^ 

should  think  q^   c^\\  f^g    God's   gracious   clioico    of 

of  their  con^ 

version  as      hiui.     It  will  bo    salutary  for  him  to 

God's  work.        .         ,       ,1  .  J       p  •  Ji 

give  to  this  aspect  ot  conversion  the 
same  prominence  which  it  receives  in  tlie 
Bible. 

One  reason  is  that  he  will  thus  keej)  in  mind 

*  that   it  was  not  he  who  sought   God,  but  that 

I.  Because      God  first  souglit  him.     We  are  com- 

*^"f*^'*^y       mandedto  "give  unto  the  Lord  the 

Ps.  q6,8.  will  honor  -^ 

G..d.  glory  due  unto  his  name.''     Wo  may 

do  this  by  ascribing  to  Ilim  the  i)raise  of  our 
salvation.  So  often  and  so  earnestly  does  the 
pulj)it  plead  with  sinners  that  they  almost  come 
to  iliink  that  repentance  on  their  part  is  a  favor 
to  God.  They  sit  back  comi^lacently  in  their 
pews,  waiting  and  willing  to  be  teased,  regard- 
ing it  as  most  commendable  in  themselves  if  so 
be  they  will  consent  to  be  saved.  And  while  it  is 
impossible  for  them  to  enter  the  kingdom  of  God 
in  this  frame  of  mind,  some  lingering  traces  of 
this   self-satisfaction  may  be  detected  in  their 


CONVERSION  75 

character  after  conversion.  They  too  often 
dwell  upon  the  part  which  they  took  in  the 
"  great  transaction."  It  is  well  for  every  Chris- 
tian to  think  of  himself  as  "a  brand  snatched 
from  the  burning."  There  was  much  sanctified 
humility,  as  well  as  Biblical  philosoiDhy,  in  the 
attitude  of  the  Christian  who  remarked  that 
his  conversion  was  the  combined  work  of  God 
and  himself.  "  God  and  yourself?  And  what 
was  your  part  in  the  transaction? "  "  O,  I 
resisted  and  God  did  the  rest."  How  true  of 
every  disciple  of  Christ!  In  his  sin  and  indif- 
ference, when  he  w^as  not  worthy  of  being 
sought,  ^\:Jlen  he  did  not  want  to  be  saved,  he 
was  called,  and  pardoned,  and  made  an  heir  of 
eternal  life.  Left  to  himself  he  would  never 
have  come  to  Christ.  If  he  did  not  care 
enough  for  salvation  to  seek  it,  why  should  God 
be  at  the  pains  of  seeking  him  out  and  redeem- 
ing him?  Christ  answered  this  question  in  the 
parable  of  the  lost  sheep.  It  was  because  God 
loved  him  more  than  he  loved  himself.  This 
thought  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  apostle 
John.  "  Herein  is  love,  not  that  we  loved  God, 
but  that  he  loved  us."  The  Christian  will  re- 
call the  patience  and  the  persistence  of  that  love, 


76  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

how  it  i3ursued  liim  into  all  his  hiding  places, 
Hos.  ii:8.  ever  seeming  to  say,  ''How  shall  I  give  thee 
up?"  The  Holy  Spirit  condescended  to  his 
varying  moods,  bearing  with  his  procrastina- 
tion, even  humoring  his  whims  and  fickle  fan- 
cies, all  because  God  had  loved  him  with  an 
everlasting  love  and  chosen  him  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world. 

A  second  reason  for  dwelling  upon  God's 
choice  of  us  in  conversion  is  that  we  shall  thus 
2.  Because  be  established  in  confidence  in  our 
ZT^»L  •^lioi'^e  of  God.  If  the  young  man 
confirmed,      gy^j.   j^^j  .^^y  misgivings   as   to  his 

wisdom  in  choosing  his  profession  he  would  at 
once  reflect  that  his  father  had  first  chosen  it 
for  him.  Doubts  would  vanish.  His  father  was 
wise  and  experienced.  On  that  wisdom  and 
experience  the  son  would  rest,  How  much 
more  may  the  timid  disciple  of  Christ  rest  in 
the  grace  which  chose  him!  Even  after  Peter 
had  denied  his  Lord,  there  must  have  been  un- 
told reassurance  in  the  recollection  of  those 
words,  "  I  have  chosen  you."  There  come 
times  in  almost  every  Christian's  experience 
when  the  foundations  of  his  spiritual  life  are 
shaken.     If  he  is  accustomed  to  cherish  this 


CONVERSION  77 

thought  of  God's  choice  of  him  he  will  find 
peace.  He  will  gain  comfort  in  the  assurance, 
"  I  have  loved  thee  with  an  everlasting  love." 
Then  he  will  not  depend  for  assurance  upon  the 
certainty  and  strength  of  his  choice  of  God* 
That  choice  will  ai^pear  to  him  as  but  the 
sequel  of  God's  choice  of  him.  "The  Lord  2 Tim  2:19. 
knoweth  them  that  are  his."  It  is  not  undesir- 
able that  the  disciple  should  sometimes  be 
forced  back  upon  this  sense  of  dependence  on  a 
will  mightier  than  his  own.  When  he  is  weak 
then  he  is  strong.  And  even  though  he  knows 
no  fear,  and  is  never  troubled  by  misgivings, 
his  knowledge  of  God's  love  will  be  deeper  and 
richer  if  he  has  faith  in  his  conversion  as  the 
unsolicited,  unmerited,  unassisted  work  of 
God's  free  grace. 


Chapter    VII. 

THE  FATHERHOOD  OF  GOD 
AND 
SONSHIP  OF  MAN. 


Loving  God  is  but  letting  God  love. us. 

— Horace  BusJinell. 

To  us    God  became    a    Father    through  the  Son,  not 
by  right  of  nature,  but  by  grace.  — Ai)ibrose. 

The  Sonship  on  which  the  New  Testament  dwells  so 
constantly  is  based  absolutely  and    solely  on  the  experi- 
ience  of  the   new  birth,  while  the  doctrine  of  universal 
Sonship  rests  either  upon  a  daring   denial,  or  a  daring 
assumption — the    denial    of   the   universal    fall    of    man 
through  sin,  or  the  assumption  of  the  universal  regenera- 
tion of  man  through  the  Spirit.     In  either  case  the  teach- 
ing   belongs    to    "another    gospel,"   the    recompense    of 
whose  teaching  is  not  a  beatitude  but  an  anathema.     Mil- 
ton probably  gives  the  true  genesis  of   this  doctrine  in 
these  words  which  he  puts  into  the  mouth  of  Satan: 
And  if  I  was,  I  am;  relation  stands; 
All  men  are  sons  of  God. 

— A.  J.  Gordon. 

It  is  commonly  tliought  that  our  first  knowl- 
Ourknowi=  edge  of  God  is  our  knowledge  of 
rtu.er''*nur  ^I"^^  ^^  Father,  that  this  is  the  easi- 
primary.        ^^^  ^y^y  of  apprehending   Him,  and 

78 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHIP  79 

that  all  men  naturally  and  readily  lay  hold  of 
this  relationship.      But  such  is  not  the  teach- 
ing of   Christ  as   to    the    divine    Fatherhood. 
He  says,  "  I  am  tlie  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life:  joim  ir.6, 
no  man  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me." 
We  ar^e  to  find  the  Father  by  first  finding  the 
Son.     If  the  fact  that  God  created  us  could  give 
us  a  knowledge  of  Him  as  Father  our  Savior 
would  never  have  declared,  "  Neither  knoweth 
any  man  the  Father,  save  the  Son,  and  he  to      '^•"•27- 
whomsoever  the  Son  will  reveal  him."     At  one 
time  Christ  charged  the  Jews  with  doing  the 
deeds  of  their  father.     Quickly  came  their  in- 
dignant r^ply,  "  We  have  one  Father,  even  God."  ^ 
But  he  answered,  "  If  God  were  your  Father       ^^• 
ye  would  love  me."     Who  then  was  their  father? 
He   told  them.     "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the 
devil."     At  another  time  he  spoke  a  parable  in 
which  he  said,  "  The  i2:ood  seed  are  the  children 

Mat.  13:3s. 

of  the  kingdom;  but  the  tares  are  the  children 
of  the  wicked  one."  God  then  is  not  the  Father 
of  all  men.  In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
Christ  taught  His  disciples.  "When  he  was  set 
his  disciples  came  unto  him,  and  he  oiDcned  his 
mouth  and  taught  them."  It  was  the  disciples 
who  v>^ere  taught  in  that  sermon   to  say,  "  Our 


Mat.  5:1,  2* 


80  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Luke  ?i:i,     Father."     It  was  "  the  children  of  the  kingdom" 
who  were  exhorted  to  be  perfect  "  even  as  your 

Mat.  5:48.  Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  So  far 
from  speaking  of  God  as  the  Father  of  all  men 
indiscriminately  our  Savior  always  represented 
Fatherhood  as  a  special  si)iritual  relationship  of 
God  to  His  chosen  ones.  He  says  more  on  this 
subject  in  that  last  Pass@ver  address  to  the 
eleven,  the  most  spiritual  of  His  discourses,  than 
in  all  His  other  recorded  utterances  combined. 
•  God  is  Father  all  the  way  through  that  address, 

and  knowledge  of  the  Father  through  the  Son  is 
the  culmination  of  spiritual  life.  "  If  ye  had 
known  me  ye  should   have  known   my   Father 

John  147  filso."  "  He  that  loveth  me  shall  be  loved  of  my 
ll'^l\  Father."  "  If  a  man  love  me  he  will  keep  my 
words;  and  my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we 
will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with 
him."  "The  time  cometh  when  I  shall  no  more 
speak  unto  you  in  i^roverbs,  but  I  shall  show 
you  i^lainly  of  the  Father."  Our  Lord  had  not 
before  spoken  to  these  men  in  this  way.  In- 
stead of  being  the  first  stei3  in  religious  exiieri- 
ence  this  knowledge  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God 
would  seem  to  be  almost  the  last. 

This  same  fact  is  equally  clear  if  we  look  at  it 


I  John  3:1. 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHIP  81 

from  the  oilier  side.     What  is  sonship?      The 
evangelist  John  tells  us  that  we  re- 
ceive "power   to  become   the    sons    of    sons  of  God       Johni:i2. 

God,"  when  we  "  l^olieve  on  his  name."  p"^,^^ 
That  power  is  not  an  original  endow- 
ment of  our  nature,  but  a  special  bestov/ment  to 
believers.  They  receive  it  from  Christ.  "  Be- 
hold," says  John  in  his  first  ei3istle,  "  what 
manner  of  love  the  Father  hath  bestowed  ui^on 
us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons  of  God." 
He  is  writing  to  Christians.  "Therefore  the 
world  knowelh  us  not,  because  it  knew  him 
not."  Who  then  are  sons  of  God?  Those  who 
know  Him  as  Father.  And  who  know  Him  as 
Father?  Those  who  have  received  power. 
Paul  says  to  the  Romans,  "  As  many  as  are  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God." 
This  is  in  accord  with  our  Savior's  x^romise  to 
His  disciples  that  the  Holy  Spirit  should  come 
to  them  from  the  Father.  God's  act  in  making 
them  sons  is  called  adoption.  "  God  sent  forth 
his  Son  *  *  *  to  redeem  them  that  were  under 
the  law,  that  we  might  receive  the  adoption  of 


Rom.  8:14. 


Gal.  4:4,5,6. 


can   call  God,  "Abba,  Father."     Sonship  then  Rom. 8:15. 
is  the  relation  to  God  of  that  soul  which  has  be- 


82  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

lieved  on  Jesus  Christ.  It  belongs  to  those  v/ho 
have  been  separated  from  the  world  under  the 
leading  of  the  Spirit.  To  these  God  has  prom- 
ised to  bo   a   Father.     "  Wherefore   come   out 

2  Cor.  6:17.    from   among  them,  and  be   ye   separate,  saith 

18. 

the  Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing;  and 
I  v\^iil  receive  you,  and  will  be  a  Father  unto 
you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  daughters, 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty."  Redeemed  souls, 
renewed  after  the  image  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  a 
family  of  which  God  is  the  Father.  These  are 
the  chosen  ones,  or  as  Paul  expresses  it  to 
the  Ephesians  God  has  "  i)redcstinated  us  unto 
tlie  adoj)tion   of   children   by   Jesus   Christ   to 

Gal. 3:26.  iiirnself,"  and  to  the  Galatians,  "Ye  are  the 
children  of  God  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ."  In 
the  epistles  of  John,  sonship  is  rather  the  result 

^  s'l!"  f  ^"     ^f  ^  begetting  than  of  an  adoi3tion.     John  makes 
much  of  the  new  birth.     The  doctrine   is  the 
same  as  that  of  Paul,  but  illustrated  by  a  slight- 
ly different  figure. 
The   close   connection   now  appears  between 
God's  choice  of  His  peoijle  and  His 

Election,  ^        ^ 

Fatherhood  relation  of  Fatherhood  to  them, 
closely  re-  God  cliooscs  the  belicvcr  from  eterni- 
iQted.  ^^^  ^^^j  -^^  ^'^^^^  sends  the  Son  to  find 


Eph.  1:5. 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHIP  83 

him.  Christ  finds  the  believer  and  gives  him 
power  to  become  a  son.  The  Spirit  leads 
the  son  to  the  Father.  Thus  the  chosen  one 
is  born  into  a  family,  or  adox3ted  into  it.  He 
may  have  previously  recognized  God  as  his 
Maker,  the  Provider  of  temporal  gifts,  the  great 
Lawgiver,  the  Director  of  his  steps.  Now  he 
knows  Him  as  Father.  He  enters  on  a  new  and 
loving  relation.  Fatherhood  means  to  him 
spiritual  comi:)anionsliii3,  communion  of  friend 
with  friend,  loving  trust.  SonshiiD  means  to 
him  filial  affection,  reverence,  o])edience.  Ho 
no  longer  makes  his  own  will  and  pleasure  su- 
l^rerne.  He  is  a  son.  He  seeks  first  and  last  to 
pleaFe  his  Father.  The  world  no  longer  rules 
his  life.  All  the  obligations  which  are  implied 
in  the  relation  of  son  to  father  he  accepts  and 
all  its  privileges  he  embraces.  This  is  some- 
thing distinctly  new.  He  liad  no  such  feeling 
in  his  old  life.  He  never  so  communed  with 
God  in  prayer  as  now  he  does,  never  so  de- 
lighted in  His  law,  never  so  entrusted  all  his  in- 
terests to  divine  vrisdom  and  love.  God  now 
apx^ears  to  him  infinitely  lovely  in  holiness. 
The  change  in  his  vision  r;['  ixod  is  as  great  as 
in  the  experience  of  Bcutiaiaeus  vvhen  his  blind 


84  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

eyes  were  opened  and  he  saw  for  the  first  time 
the  face  of  Jesus. 

The  child  of  God  cannot  fully  describe  this 
change,  in  his  relationship  to  God,  but  he  is 
Sonship  a  ^^^^^Y  pcrsuaded  of  two  facts.  One  is 
reality.  ij^^t  a  chan<^e  has  taken  place.    It  is  a 

reality.  Ho  has  not  simply  £j;ained  new  ideas 
about  God.  He  has  come  into  new  personal 
relations  with  God.  He  is  conscious  of  this 
fact.  It  is  not  the  old  feeling  enlarged  and 
j)urified.  It  is  another  feeling  entirely.  It  is 
faintly  illustrated  by  the  feeling  of  some  orphan 
waif  picked  up  from  the  street  and  adopted  into 
the  home  and  love  of  some  benevolent  friend. 
Any-one  can  utter  the  sound,  but  when  the  child 
of  God  says  "Father,"  that  dear  word  means  to 
him  something  which  it  never  meant  until 
Christ  possessed  his  heart.  This  because  he  has 
received  the  spirit  of  adojotion.  He  is  as  con- 
scious of  filial  nearness  as  he  is  of  his  own  ex- 
istence. 

He  is  equally  sure  that  this  new  and  personal 
relation  is  something  which  he  himself  did  not 
bring  about.      Sonshi]3  is  not  an  acquirement. 

Sonship  a  It  i«  ^  ^'^^t-  Ev^^T  ^<^^lit?ver  knows 
bestowment.  ^\^^^  John  speaks  the  truth  when  he 


PATHERHOOD  and  SONSHIP  85 

says  that  it  is  Christ  who  gives  us  power  to  be- 
come the  sons  of  God.  If  the  believer  ever 
tried,  apart  from  Christ,  to  gain  this  sense  of 
God's  Fatherhood  and  his  own  sonship,  he 
knows  how  futile  were  all  his  efforts.  Why 
were  they  futile?  Because  none  but  sons  can 
have  the  feeling  of  sons,  and  no  one  can  make 
himself  a  son.  The  testimony  of  every  chosen 
one  is  that  this  blessing  was  bestowed  on  him 
from  above.  He  did  not  lay  hold  of  his  inherit- 
ance by  any  wit  or  strength  of  his  own.  He 
was  begotten  into  it  according  to  God's  abundant  ^  ^^*-  ^•'^• 
mercy.  He  did  not  earn  it  by  works.  He  did  jas.  i:i8. 
not  secure  it  by  meritorious  faith.  He  was  not 
in  himself  more  worthy  of  it  than  others.  It 
was  the  free,  unsolicited  gift  of  God. 

We  find  then  that  the  Bible  is  very  clear  and 
definite  in  its   teachings  on  this  subject,   and 
that  its  utterances  are  confirmed  by 
Christian  experience.       From   these  ^^^l^"^^^'^' 
two  sources  we  see  what  are  the  chief  Fatherhood 

of  God. 

features  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 

In  the  first  place  the  Fatherhood   of  God  is 
that  peculiar  relation  which  he  bears  to  His 
chosen  ones.     These  He  has  adopted  i.  Father- 
and  ushered  into  the  family  of  saints,  relationship. 


86  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Once  He  loved  them  with  the  love  of  be- 
nevolence when  they  were  dead  in  tresi^asses 
and  sins.  Now  they  are  new  creatures  in  Christ 
Jesus,  and  He  loves  them  with  the  love  of  ap- 
probation. They  in  turn  cherish  toward  Him  a 
new  feeling.  As  good  children  love  an  earthly 
father  not  because  of  what  he  gives  them,  not 
because  they  get  from  him  food  and  raiment 
and  care,  but  because  of  what  he  is  in  himself, 
so  the  chosen  ones  of  God  delight  in  Him  apart 
from  all  His  gifts.  It  is  not  what  He  does  for 
them  on  which  their  love  mainly  rests,  but 
what  He  is  to  them.  He  may  bestow.  He  may 
withold, — they  are  content  if  they  can  have 
Him.  God  is  His  own  best  gift  to  His  chosen 
ones.  The  little  child  knocked  at  the  study 
door.  "What  do  you  want,  my  son?"  said  the 
father.  "Nothing,  father,  only  to  be  with  you." 
Such  is  the  feeling  of  the  child  of  God. 

Another  feature  of  the  divine  Fatherhood  is 
that  it  shines  most  gloriously  in  saving  grace. 
2.  Father-  When  God  creates  worlds  wo  see  His 
Tted'in thr  P^wer.  When  He  provides  for  the 
Grace  of  God.  ^auts  of  the  body  we  behold  His 
loving  kindness.  When  He  declares  His  law 
"  holy,  just,  and  good,"  we  discern  His  righteous- 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHIP  87 

ness.     When  He  saves  us  from  sin  and  unto 
holiness,  His  love  as  a  Father  is  manifested.     It 
is  revealed  as  grace.     Grace  is  favor  shown  to 
the  guilty.     Mercy   might   forgive,   but  mercy 
does  not  imjpart  holiness.     It  leaves  man  par- 
doned but  helpless.     Grace  gives  life.    It  does 
not  help  man  to  be  holy;  it  makes  him  holy. 
When  Christ  said  to  Lazarus,  "  Come  forth," 
omnipotence  restored  the  lost  life.      It  is  life 
which  grace  bestows.     Herein  God  is  Father. 
His  children  owe  their  spiritual  life  to  Him. 
"  Of  his  own  will  begat  he  us."     It  was  grace  ^^^-  ^•^^* 
which  adopted  us  into  His  family.      Thus  the 
true  child  of  God  can  never  doubt  that  God  is 
dealing  with  him  as  a  Father.     If  we  know  the 
divine  Fatherhood  in  our  soul's  redemption,  we 
shall  be  assured  that  all  things  are  working  to- 
gether for  our  good  in  matters  of  less  moment. 
Our  business  may  not  prosper,  our  health  may 
fail,  bereavement  may  come,  our  earthly  lot  may 
be  hard, — and  if  our  faith  in  God's  Fatherhood 
hung  on  these  things,  we  might  question  His 
goodness.     But  we  have  a  surer  foundation  for 
faith.     There  can  be  no  question  as  to  the  grace 
of    God.      That    has    been    firmly  established 
through   our   adoption    into   God's    household. 


88  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Heb.  12: 7.  But  p^race  carries  with  it  Fatherhood.  Hence 
we  know  that  Ho  is  dealing  with  us  as  with 
sons  in  all  things.  Heroin  is  the  advantage  of 
thinking  of  God's  Fatherhood  in  the  Biblical 
way,  as  manifested  in  saving  grace.  It  firmly 
secures  us  in  the  embrace  of  that  Fatherhood  at 
the  very  beginning  of  our  Christian  life.  It  es- 
tablishes our  assurance  of  God's  love  in  matters 
of  the  highest  interest,  so  that  we  instinctively 
reason  with  Paul  that  "  He  that  spared  not  his 

Rom  8:32.     own  Son     *     *     *     will  with  him  freely  give  us 

^  •     all  things."     And  just  here  we  see  why  Paul 

prayed  so  earnestly  that  his  converts  might  duly 
appreciate  the  fact  that  they  were  called,  regen- 
erated, and  saved  by  grace.  So  important  did 
this  truth  appear  to  him  that  he  fervently  be- 
sought God  to  enable  the  Ephesians  to  under- 

Eph. 1:17-19.  stand  and  to  believe  it,  ceasing  not  to  make 
mention  of  them  in  his  prayers,  "  That  the  God 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  of  glory, 
may  give  unto  you  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation  in  the  knowledge  of  him:  Tlie  eyes 
of  your  understanding  being  enlightened;  that 
ye  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his  calling, 
and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inherit- 
ance, in  the  saints.  And  what  is  the  exceeding 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHTP  89 

greatness  of  his  power  to  us^ward,  who  holieve." 
It  was  not  merely  that  tliey  might  lielieve  a 
doctrine  tliat  Panl  made  this  impassioned  plea, 
bnt  that  they  might  realize  the  graciousness  of 
their  vocation,  the  preciousness  of  their  hope, 
and  the  greatness  of  the  power  which  was  sav- 
ing them.  Every  believer  should  offer  on  be- 
half of  himself  and  the  church  this  same  peti- 
tion. The  granting  of  it  means  a  revival  of 
pure  religion  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  God's 
people. 

A  third  characteristic  of  God's  Fatherhood  is 
that  it  is  revealed  and  secured  to  us  through 
Jesus  Christ.  He  "  of  whom  the  whole  family 
in  heaven  and  earth  is  named,"  chooses  us  for 
brethren,  and  thus  gains  for  us  en- 

^  3.  Father= 

trance  into  the  Father's  house.     Son-   hood  is  made  1'-p'i-  3is, 
ship  is  therefore  union  with  Christ,   through         i  Cor.  6:17. 
"  He  that  is  joined  unto  the  Lord  is  ^*"''*** 
one  spirit."     The  believer  should  make  this  the 
central  thought  and  aim  of  his  religious  life  — 
union  with  Christ.     "  I  in  them  and  thou  in  John  17:23. 
me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one,"  was 
His  last  prayer.     '"  Christ  in   you,  the  hoi3e  of   Coios.  1:27. 
glory,"  is  the  crown  which  the  ajDostle  holds  be- 
fore the  aspiring  eyes  of  all  Christians.     This  is 


Gal.  2:20. 


I  John  S:i2. 


90  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

vital  Christianity  when  the  believer  can  say,  "  I 
live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me."  This 
is  not  a  shadow  which  we  pursue,  nor  a  dream 
of  the  night.  The  union  of  sunlight  with  flow- 
er, of  heat  with  fire,  of  life  with  the  body,  is 
not  more  real.  There  is  a  life  which  is  hid  with. 
Christ  in  God  for  sinful,  helr)less  men  and  wo- 
men; not  a  fancy  of  the  mystic  in  his  solitude, 
not  a  prize  for  him  who  has  leisure  and  learn- 
ing, but  a  reality  for  all  believers  amid  their 
temptations,  troubles,  duties,  cares.  Man  has  a 
body;  he  is  a  spirit.  Spiritually  he  may  be 
joined  with  Christ  and  become  a  son  of  God. 
So  vividly  conscious  was  Martin  Luther  of  this 
fact  that  he  used  tlie  extravagant  language,  ''  By 
faith  thou  art  so  joined  \vith  Christ  that  thou 
canst  say,  '  I  am  Christ,'  and  he  in  turn  can 
say,  '  I  am  that  sinner.'  "  But  this  union  does 
not  destroy  personality.  It  is,  however,  vital — ■ 
the  life  of  Christ  within  the  believer  as  distin- 
guished from  external  influence  or  assistance — 
so  that  the  apostle  says,  "  He  that  hath  the  Son 
hath  life."  It  is  inscrutable  though  not  unin- 
telligible. We  cannot  fully  comprehend  it,  but 
may  know  it  by  experience.  It  is  increasingly 
revealed   to   every   faithful   disciiole.     "  Of  his 


FATHERHOOD  AND  SONSHIP  91 

fullness   have   all   we   received,  and  grace    for 
grace." 

And  now  if  it  be  asked,  Why  be  at  such  pains 
to  define  God's  Fatherhood,  and  vaiueofciear 
man's  Sonship  ?  the  answer   is   this:  conceptions 

of  our  filial 

partly  that  we  may  be  able  to  give  relation  to 
to  ourselves  and  to  others  a  reason 
for  the  hope  that  is  in  us,  and  partly  that  our 
understanding  of  this  relationship  may  be  a 
gateway  through  which  we  shall  pass  to  a 
higher  and  holier  life.  Let  us  have  a  worthy 
and  Scriptural  conception  of  what  it  is  to  be 
chosen  of  God.  If  we  have  thought  of  Son- 
ship  as  no^more  than  the  imitation  of  certain 
virtues  which  we  find  in  Christ  let  us  now  learn 
what  is  the  hope  of  our  calling.  There  is  a 
wide  difference  between  the  assurance  that  I  am 
trying  to  live  for  Christ,  and  the  knowledge 
that  Christ  is  living  in  me.  It  is  true  that  I 
hold  Christ's  hand,  but  the  best  truth  is  that 
Christ's  mighty  hand  holds  mine.  My  choice 
of  Christ  I  may  at  times  distrust,  but  Christ's 
choice  of  me  sets  my  feet  upon  a  rock.  We 
cannot  too  often  remind  ourselves  that  we  "  were 
born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  Jo'^  ^■^3- 
nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God. "  What  is  it 


Fs.  27:5. 


92  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

to  be  a  son  in  the  Father's  family  ?  Not  to  im- 
prove the  behavior,  but  to  receive  ado^jtion. 
What  makes  us  sons  of  God  ?  His  electing 
grace, — unmerited,  resisted  from  the  first,  in- 
finitely merciful  and  condescending.  He  chose 
us  in  Christ  before  the  morning  stars  sang  to- 
gether. In  Christ  He  makes  Himself  known 
as  Father. 

The  sweetest  sense  of  God's  Fatherhood  is 
The  Chris-  inexj)ressible.  The  best  part  of  the 
tian  life  is      Christian  life  is  that  which  the  world 

more  than  it 

seems.  (\_oQ}^  uot  and  cauuot  see.     The   high- 

est conception  which  the  world  has  of  a  Chris- 
tian is  of  one  who  excels  in  the  moralities  of 
daily  life  and  the  virtues  of  human  character. 
But  these  things  are  the  merest  dress  of  the 
spirit.  The  Christian  life  is  a  hidden  life.  Its 
springs,  its  essence,  are  out  of  sight.  It  is 
nourished  at  divine  sources.  "He  shall  hide 
me  in  His  pavilion."  It  grows  more  inexpres- 
sible as  it  deepens  and  strengthens,  for  Christ 
can  save  "to  the  uttermost."  Fatherhood 
means  more  and  more  to  the  believer.  Sonship 
becomes  tenderer  in  its  affection,  and  more  in- 
timate in  its  communion.  But  the  more  we 
know  of  it  the  less  can  we  tell  it. 


Chapter  VIII. 
CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH. 


When  one  that  was  in  anxiety  of  mind,  often  waver 
ing  between  fear  and  hope,  did  once,  being  oppressed 
with  grief,  humbly  prostrate  himself  in  a  church  before 
the  altar  in  prayer,  and  said  within  himself,  O  if  I  knew 
that  I  yet  should  persevere!  he  presently  heard  within  him 
an  answer  from  God,  which  said,  what  if  thou  didst  know 
it,  what  wouldest  thou  do?  Do  now  what  thou  wouldest 
then  do,  and  thou  shalt  be  secure.  — A.  Kempis. 

It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  liv- 
ing God  ;  but  to  fall  ou^  of  the  hands  of  the  living  God  is 
a  horror  beyond  expression,  beyond  our  imagination. 

— Joh7i  Donne. 

This  is  the  Gospel;  He  that  believeth  shall  be  saved. 
Now,  in  order  to  the  truth  of  this  declaration,  every 
believer  must  be  fiaved.  If,  in  the  last  day,  the  great 
enemy  find  one  single  soul  not  saved,  whoever  believed  the 
Gopel,  he  would  take  that  soul  up,  present  tliat  soul  to  the 
Judge,  and  to  the  immense  assembly,  and  say,  The  Gospel 
is  not  true.  — Christmas  Evans. 

I  saw  in  my  dream  that  the  Interpreter  took  Christian 
by  the  hand,  and  led  him  into  a  place  where  was  a  tire 
burning  against  a  wall,  and  one  standing  by  it,  always 
casting  much  water  u^jon  it  to  quench  it;  yet  did  the  fire 
burn  liigher  and  hotter. 

Then  said  Christian,  what  means  this  ? 

The  Interpreter  answered,  this  fire  is  the  work  of 
Grace  that  is  wrought  in  the  heart;  he  that  casts  water 
upon  it  to  extinguish  and  put  it  out,  is  the  devil;  but  in 
liiat  thou  seest  that  the  fire,  notwithstanding,  burns 
uij^ner  and  hotter,  thou  shalt  also  see  the  reason  of  that. 

93 


94  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

So  he  had  him  about  to  the  backside  of  the  wall,  where 
he  saw  a  man  with  a  vessel  of  oil  in  his  hand,  of  which  he 
did  also  continually  cast,  but  secretly,  into  the  fire. 

Then  said  Christian,  what  means  this  ? 

The  Interpreter  answered,  this  is  Christ,  who  contin- 
ually with  the  oil  of  his  Grace,  maintains  the  work  already 
begun  in  the  heart,  by  means  of  which,  notwithstanding 
what  the  devil  can  do,  the  souls  of  His  people  prove 
gracious  still.  And  in  that  thou  sawost  that  the  man 
stood  behind  the  wall  to  maintain  the  fire,  this  is  to  teach 
thee  that  it  is  hard  for  the  tempted  to  see  how  this  work 
of  Grace  is  maintained  in  the  Soul.  — John  Biinyan 


The  security  of  believers  is  one  of  the  glowing 
themes  of  the  New  Testament.  Our  Savior  and 
Redeemed       "^^^  disciples  alike  are  most  positive 

once,  re-        jj^  their  assertious  that  no  true  Chris- 
deemed 
forever.         tian   shall   fail  of  entrance  into  the 

heavenly  kingdom.  Would  we  share  in  this 
assurance  we  must  keep  in  mind  what  it  is  to  be 
a  Christian.  If  sonship  is  merely  the  result  of 
the  determination  of  the  human  will  to  obey 
Christ,  the  disciple  may  at  any  time  forsake  his 
Master.  If  the  new  life  is  only  a  performance 
on  man's  jjart,  a  human  aspiration,  a  feeble 
effort,  a  struggle,  a  possible  victory  at  last  by 
the  energy  of  finite  endeavor,  the  safety  of  be- 
lievers is  i)recarious.  But  because  a  Christian 
life  is  an  undertaking  of  God  it  cannot  fail. 
Even  were  there  no  Scriptural  pledges  to  the 
chosen  one  of  his  ultimate  salvation,  we  should 


Phil.  3:10. 


CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH  95 

infer  it  from  the  nature  of  his  standing  before 
God.  He  is,  "  God's  husbandry,"  he  is  "  God's  i  Cor.  3^9. 
building."  Henpe  Paul  is  "  confident  of  this  p^^j,  ^.^ 
very  thing,  that  he  which  hath  begun  a  good 
work  in  you  will  perform  it  until  the  day  of 
Jesus  Christ."  Unfinished  work  characterizes 
human  endeavor,  but  the  divine  Architect  com- 
pletes every  plan  which  He  designs.  If  Christ 
lives  in  me  I  am  eternally  safe,  for  the  risen 
Redeemer  within  my  soul  can  never  die.  And 
thus  I  may  "  know  him  and  the  power  of  his 
resurrection."  I  may  be  absolutely  sure  that 
He  will  keep  me  to  the  end. 

But  the  Word  insists  with  singular  emphasis 
upon  the  certainty  of  the  believer's  christ  prom- 
salvation.     In  his  sacramental  prayer  '^^^ « ^"^^ 

Salvation 

our  Lord  says,  "As  thou  hast  given  to  every 

him  power  over    all  flesh,    that  he 

should  give  eternal  life  to  as  many  as  thou  hast 

given  him."     He  will  give  eternal  life  to  every 

one  without  exception.     Christ  does  not  recall 

His  gifts.     "  Eternal  life,"  from  its  very  nature 

is  indestructible.    The  believer  did  not  create  it 

and   he   cannot  destroy   it.      Si^eaking   of  His 

sheep,  our  Savior  declares,   "  And  I  give  unto 

them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  J°h"^°=28. 


John  17:2, 


96  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  my 
hand."  If  we  had  only  this  one  verse  we  should 
be  sure  of  the  salvation  of  every  Christian. 
First,  there  is  the  definition  of  the  Christian  as 
one  who  has  received  of  Christ  eternal  life,  and 
then  the  corollary  that  no  such  recipient  shall 
fall  away.  This  same  fact  our  Savior  taught 
negatively.     In  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  He 

Mat.7:22,23.  Baid,  "  Many  will  say  to  me  in  that  day,  Lord, 
Lord,   have   we  not  prophesied  in   thy  name? 

^  and  in  thy  name  have  cast  out  devils?  and  in 

thy  name  done  many  wonderful  works?  And 
then  will  I  profess  unto  them,  I  never  knew 
you:  depart  from  me,  ye  that  work  iniquity." 
Here  are  persons  who  gave  outward  signs  of 
being  followers  of  Christ.  By  their  fellowmen 
they  could  not  be  distinguished  from  true  Chris- 
tians. And  Jesus  will  not  tell  them  that  he  had 
once  known  them,  and  afterw^ard  rejected  them — 
that  they  had  been  Christians  for  a  time  and 
had  then  fallen  away — that  they  had  been  born 
again  and  afterward  had  apostatized — but  that 
He  had  never  known  them  at  all.  In  the  early 
church  there  were  such  false  professors,  and 
there  have  been  such  in  the  church  ever  since. 
John  met  them,  and  said  of  them,  "  They  went 


CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH  97 

out  from  us,  but  they  were  not  of  us;  for  if  they 
had  been  of  us,  they  would  no  doubt  have  con- 

1  John  2:19. 

tinned  with   us;    but  they  went  out,  that  they 
might  be  made  manifest  that  they  were  not  all 
of  us."     Christ  knew  them  in  Sardis,  and  said 
that  they  ''  had  a  name  to  live  and  were  dead."   j^^^ 
Paul  was  familiar  with  them,  and  wrote  that 
they  had  "a  form  of  godliness,   but  denied  the  2x1111.3:5. 
power  thereof."     Was  not  Judas  a  .type  of  all 
such,  a  "  son  of  perdition  "  among  the  sons  of 
God.     Did  not  our  Lord  picture  them  in  the 
parable  of  the  tares?     Tares  were  always  tares. 
They  did  not  begin  as  wheat  and  afterward  turn 
into  weeds..  And  the  wheat  never  becomes  tares. 
While  then '' they  are  not  all  Israel,  which  are  Rom. 9:6. 
of  Israel,"  and  while  many  walk  with  us  who 
are  "  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,"  it  is  true   ^^^^"  ^'^^' 
that  "  the  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his,"  and     ^. 

2  Tim.  2:19 

he  who  once  enters  the  Father's  house  by  adop- 
tion abideth  there  a  son  forever. 

One  of  the  wonderful  chapters  of  the  Bible  is 
the  eighth  of  Romans.  It  is  the  gem  of  the  writ- 
inc^s  of  Paul.     It  would  mve  us  the 

'  _  The  whole 

essential  gospel  of    Christ  if  all  the  Oospeiinone 

rest  of  the  New  Testament  were  lost. 

The  whole  cha^Dter  is  one  sustained  ptean  of  vie- 


98  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

tory.  It  "  begins  with  no  condemnation,  and 
ends  with  no  separation."  And  what  is  the 
note  of  triumph?  Even  this — the  absolute  cer- 
tainty that  all  who  are  chosen  of  God  will  be 
saved.  There  are  five  links  in  Paul's  chain  of 
argument.  First,  no  condemnation.  The  be- 
liever is  no  longer  in  the  power  of  the  law  and 
hence  can  never  be  condemned.  Secondly,  a 
new  life,  divinely  imparted  and  i^reserved,  hence 
indestructible.  Thirdly,  sonship,  membershixD 
in  a  family  chcjsen  and  sustained  by  God. 
Fourthly,  an  eternal  purpose.  The  believer  is 
predestinated,  called,  justified,  glorified,  and, 
therefore,  held  in  the  grasp  of  omnipotence. 
Fifthly,  the  love  of  God,  great  and  unchanging, 
from  wliich  nothing  can  sej^arate  the  chosen  one. 
Step  by  stej)  our  faith  is  led  from  point  to  i^oint 
in  this  inspired  p.-issage,  and  it  must  be  a  cold 
heart  which  does  not  share  the  apostle's  exulta- 
tion as  it  bursts  out  in  a  shout  of  victory  at  the 
end.  He  is  on  the  summit  of  the  mount  of 
confidence  whence  he  looks  down  triumphantly 
upon  tribulation,  and  distress,  and  persecution, 
and  famine,  and  nakedness,  and  peril,  and  sword 
— in  all  of  whicli  tilings  we  are  "  more  than  con- 
querors through  him  that  loved  us" — and  up- 


CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH  d9 

ward  to  the  infinite  love  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord  from  which  naught  can  se'parate  us. 
What  a  climax.  What  a  chapter.  What  a  sal- 
vation. God's  chosen  ones  are  secure.  Not  be- 
cause of  what  man  is,  not  because  of  what  man 
can  do.  It  is  all  of  God — the  pardon,  the  call- 
ing, the  life,  the  sonship,  the  purpose,  the  love. 
Those  who  are  in  Chri'st  Jesus  are  as  secure  as 
God  can  make  them.  He  has  hedged  them 
about  with  His  power,  wisdom,  love.  He  holds 
them  in  everlasting  arms.  They  arc  kept — 
"  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  i  pet.  1:5. 
salvation." 

It  is  interesting   to  observe   how   differently 
Paul  presents  this  same  truth  to  some 

The  earnest 

of  the  other  churches.     He   tells  the  of  our  in= 
Ephesians,  for  example,  that  they  are 
sure  of  eternal  life  because   they  have   already 
received  an  installment   of  it.     After   they   be- 
lieved  on   Christ   they  "were  sealed  with  that  Eph. 1:13,14 
holy  Spirit  of  promise. "     Here  sonshii)  is   rep- 
resented   as    the    stamj)   of   the   Holy  Spirit's 
likeness  upon   the   soul   of  the   believer.     The 
Spirit  imi3resses  upon  the  chosen  one,   as   with 
a  seal,  his  own  divine  image.    But  this  likeness, 
of    which   the   believer   is   conscious,    is   "the 


100  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

earnest,  both  sample  and  pledge,  of  his  final 
salvation. "  The  earnest  is  a  preliminary  ijay- 
ment  in  token  of  serious  purpose  to  fultil  any 
engagement.  In  law  it  is  something  given  by 
the  buyer  to  the  seller  to  bind  the  bargain.  It 
is  a  handful  of  earth  by  which  the  purchaser 
takes  possession  of  his  estate,  a  sample  of  the 
whole,  and  a  pledge  of  what  is  to  come.  So 
God's  likeness  in  the  Christian,  the  seal  of  the 
Spirit,  tells  un  what  our  inheritance  is  to  be  in 
kind,  and  is  a  sure  guarantee  tliat  tlie  whole  in- 
heritance shall  be  ours.  Our  certainty  rests 
upon  no  merit  in  ourselves,  upon  no  determin- 
ation and  persistency  of  our  own,  but  upon  this, 
that  God  has  set  upon  us  a  seal  which  is  an  ab- 
solute pledge  that  we  shall  be  saved. 

Continuance  in  the  faith  does   not  of  course 

mean  that  the  believer  will  always   be   able   to 

maintain  the  same  even  level  of  ol)ed- 

l''v?.-r„„.  ience  ami  of  imvnnl  joy.      Thore  will 

uniformly       |)^  flucl uatioiis  of  feeling  and  varia- 

intense. 

tions    of    i)ractice.      This  cannot  be 

altog(^ther     avoided.        Spiritual    life    has    its 

moods.     Sometimes  the  Christian's  service  will 

1)0  faidiy.     He  will   yield   to    temptation.     Yet 

Ps.  37:24,28.  ..  though  he   fall,  he   shall  not  be    utterly   cast 


CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH  101 

down. "  Sometimes  his  love  will  be  chilled  and 
he  will,  like  Peter,  follow  his  Master  afar  otf . 
But  God  "forsaketh  not  his  saints;  they  are 
l^reserved  forever."  The  course  of  a  ship  is 
zigzag,  but  the  general  direction  is  toward  port. 
The  mountain  path  winds  hither  and  thither, 
but  reaches  the  top  at  last.  That  is  a  most 
beautiful  picture  of  the  patience  of  Christ 
drawn  by  Isaiah  where  he  says,  "  He  shall  not  j^^.  421. 
fail  nor  be  discouraged."  It  almost  seems  that 
God  was  discouraged  with  men  at  one  time.  "It 
repented  the  Lord  that  he  had  made  man  on  the  Gen.  6:6. 
earth,  and  it  grieved  him  at  his  heart. "  But 
Christ  is  never  discouraged.  And  why  not  ? 
Because  lie  knows  that  no  man  shall  i:)luck  his 
chosen  ones  out  of  His  hand.  They  may  deny 
Him  thrice  but  love  will  still  hold  them,  and  in 
the  end  they  shall  be  saved. 

'     Let  every  child  of  God  then  stand  thus  in  full 
assurance   of   his   security  in  Christ. 

*^  It  is  the 

It  is  only  when  he  departs  from  the   Christian's 
Biblical  view  of  sonship  that   he  can   be  sure  of 
question  the  certainty  of  his  continu-  *•"«' ^"^cess. 
ance  to  the  end.     Let  him  beware   of  thinking 
of  his  new  birth  as  no  more  than  his  individual 
choice  to  follow  Christ.     That  would  make  him 


102  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

a  Christian  "  by  the  will  of  the  flesh, "  and  his 
continuance  in  the  new  life  would  be  no  more 
certain  than  the  endurance  of  his  poor  finite 
strength.  But  if,  as  Christ  teaches,  Christians 
are  those  selected  by  the  divine  will,  then  their 
continuance  has  all  the  immutability  of  God 
Himself.  If  we  laid  hold  of  Christ  only  our 
grasp  may  be  relaxed.  But  if  the  love  of  God 
in  Christ  laid  hold  of  us  nothing  can  separate  us 
from  that  love.  There  is  a  deal  of  inspiration 
in  this  comfortable  old  doctrine  of  the  perse- 
•  verance  of  the  saints.      The   ^perseverance  how- 

ever is  not  in  the  saints.  "Old  Adam  is  too 
strong  for  young  Melancthon."  The  grace  of 
God  perseveres.  "If  heaven  above  can  be 
jer.  31:37.  measured,  and  the  foundations  of  the  earth 
searched  out  beneath,  I  will  also  cast  oif  all  the 
seed  of  Israel  for  all  that  they  have  done,  saith 
the  Lord."  The  young  Christian  sometimes 
asks.  Shall  1  hold  out?  We  may  rej^ly,  "He 
which  hatli  l)egun  a  good  work  in  you  will  per- 
form it  until  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ. "  Hold 
out  ?  Of  course  you  will  not  liold  out.  It  is 
divine  grace  that  holds  out.  In  eternity  God 
determined  to  glorify  Himself  in  your  salvation. 
He   has  bestowed  upon  you  sonship,  and  "the 


Phil.  1:6. 


CONTINUANCE  IN  THE  FAITH  103 

gifts  and   calling  of   God   are    without   repen-     Rom.  11:29. 
tance."     Trust  everything  with  Him.  Make  the 
conix3lete  committal,   and  then  say   with  Paul, 
''I  know  whom   I  have  believed,   and   am   per- 
suaded that  he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  2  Tim.  1:12 
committed  unto   him   against   that  day."     We 
love  God,  but  our  best  reliance  is  that  He  loves 
us.     Even  the  Insi)ired  Word  almost  seems  to 
correct  itself  on  this  point  where  it  says,   "But 
now,  after  that  ye  have  known  God,"   and   im-     ^'^''^' 
mediately  adds,  "or  rather  are  known  of  God.  " 
Not  our  knowledge  of  God  but  God's  knowledge 
of  us  is  our  soul's  hope. 


Chapter  IX. 
THE  SOVEREiGNTY  OF  GOD 


The  year's  at  the  spring 
And  clay's  at  the  morn; 
Morning's  at  seven; 
The  liill-sidc's  dew=pearled; 
The  lark's  on  the  wing; 
The  snail's  on  the  thorn: 
God's  in  his  heaven — • 
All's  right  with  the  world. 

— Robert  Browning. 

I  am  trying  to  bring  the  God  which  is  in  me  into  har- 
mony with  the  God  which  is  in  the  universe. 

■ — Dying  words  of  Plotinus. 

Since  I  came  to  this  town  (Northampton)  I  have  often 
had  sweet  complacency  in  God,  in  views  of  his  glorious 
perfections,  and  the  excellency  of  Jesus  Christ.  God  has 
appeared  to  me  a  glorious  and  loving  being,  chiefly  on 
on  account  of  His  lioliness.  The  holiness  of  God  has  al- 
ways appeared  to  me  the  most  lovely  of  all  his  attributes. 
The  doctrine  of  God's  absolute  sovereignty  and  free  grace, 
in  showing  mercy  to  whom  he  would  show  mercy,  and 
man's  absolute  dependence  on  the  operations  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit,  have  very  often  appeared  to  me  as  sweet  and 
glorious  doctrines.  These  doctrines  have  been  much  my 
<lelight.  God's  sovereignty  has  over  appeared  to  me  as 
groat  part  of  His  glory.  It  has  often  been  sweet  to  me  to 
go  to  God,  and  adore  him  as  a  sovereign  God,  and  ask 
sovereign  mercy  of  him.  That  sovereignty  of  God  that 
Clirist  rejoiced  in  seemed  to  mo  to  be  worthy  to  be  re- 
joiced in;  and  that  rejoicing  of  Clirist  seemed  to  me  to 
show  the  excellency  of  Christ,  and  the  spirit  he  was  of. 

— Diary  of  Jonathan  Edwards. 

104 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  QOD  105 

The  infinite  holiness  and  the  infinite  wisdom  of  God 
glorify  his  sovereignty.  He  does  what  He  will  witli  His 
own;  but  what  He  wills  to  do  is  always  the  absolute  best, 
the  eternally  right.  —R-    Tuck. 

He  chooses  us,  not  because  we  believe,  but  in  order 
that  we  may  believe.  —Augustine. 

I  worship  thee,  sweet  Will  of  God 

And  all  thy  ways  adore. 
And  every  day  I  live,  I  seem 

To  love  thee  more  and  more. 

I  know  not  what  it  is  to  doubt. 

My  heart  is  ever  gay; 
I  run  no  risk  for,  come  what  will, 

Thou  always  hast  Thy  way. 

Ill  that  He  blesses  is  our  good, 

And  unblest  good  is  ill; 
And  all  is  right  that  seems  most  wrong, 

If  it  be  His  sweet  Willi 

— jfi^.  W.  Faber, 

Whatever  may  be  the  passing  fashion  in  the 
religions  thonght  of  any  age,  it  is  certain  that 
the  Bible,  from  beginning  to  end,  ^,^^  Biblical 
mairiiifies  the  sovereignty  of  God.     It   '^eacf 

^  ^      -^  God. 

is  the  rnling  idea  in  the  story  of  crea- 
tion, wherein  matter  and  force  appear  as  servitors 
of  the  divine  behest.  It  gives  man  his  law  of 
life  in  Eden  and  punishes  the  guilt  of  his  first 
sin.  It  is  offended  by  the  gross  iniquity  of  a 
new  world  and  drowns  a  race  of  sinners,  giving 
answer  to  none.  With  Abraham  and  his  seed 
G  od  is  first  of  all  a  King,  speaking  with  author- 
ity, demanding  implicit  obedience,  thundering 


IOC  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

His  will  inlaw  and  commandment,  visiting  upon 
transgression  the  penalities  of  justice,  and  if  at 
times  remonstrating  and  jjleading,  yet  always 
speaking  as  the  High  and  Holy  One  whose 
right  over  all  His  subjects  is  absolute.  Divine 
Sovereignity  is  the  x)illar  of  cloud  and  of  fire 
through  all  the  wanderings  of  Israel,  their  hope 
in  trouble,  their  reward  in  obedience,  their  ter- 
ror in  sin,  from  the  cai)tivity  in  Egypt  to  that 
in  Babylon.  Divine  Sovereignty  is  the  final 
answer  of  God  to  the  loiig  wail  of  the  book  of 
Job.  Divine  Sovereignty  is  the  majestic  theme 
of  a  hundred  Psalms,  and  the  burden  of  all  the 
prophecies.  In  all  the  teachings  of  Christ,— in 
tender  appeal,  in  scathing  rebuke,  in  instructive 
address,  in  parable  and  miracle  and  prayer, 
there  is  ever  present,  either  conspicuously  or  in 
the  background,  the  supreme  fact  that  God  is 
Ruler  over  all. 

The  letters  of  the  apostles  to  the  churches 
present  the  same  high  theme.  In  these  the 
Sovereignty  of  God  is  interwoven  with  all  His 
dealings  with  man,  with  providence  and  with 
grace,  with  penalty  and  with  rev/ard,  with 
affliction  and  with  prosperity,  with  the  sinner's 
calling,  with  conversion  and    justification  and 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  GOD  107 

growth  in  grace,  with  perseverance  in  holiness 
and  with  final  entrance  into  glory.  And  as  we 
close  the  insjjired  Book  with  the  apocalypse  of 
the  seer  at  Patmos,  the  vision  culminates  in  the 
midst  of  heaven  w^here  stands  a  throne,  the 
throne  of  One  to  whom  every  knee  bows 
and  every  tongue  confesses.  God  reigns. 
Everywhere  in  the  Scriptures  lie  is  crowned. 
None  can  stay  His  hand,  or  say,  What  doest 
Thou?  He  shares  His  government  with  none, 
and  gives  to  none  an  account  of  His  doings. 

So  exalted  is  His  Sovereignty  that  it  imparts 
something  of  its  character  to  every  other  attri- 
bute of  IJis  nature.     His  wisdom  is  ^"  «*  Q^^'^ 

attributes 

kingly.  His  power  is  absolute  and  ac-  partake  of 
countable  to  none,  His  mercy  is  the  eignty. 
stoop  of  a  monarch,  His  love  disx^enses  blessing 
with  royal  profusion  and  gracious  condescen- 
sion. Sovereignty  is  the  mark  of  His  goings 
forth.  It  is  disclosed  at  every  step  in  the  march 
of  events  from  the  creation  of  light  to  the  final 
glory.  God  always  holds  the  sceptre.  The 
Biblical  name  for  that  economy  into  which  He 
will  gather  all  things  to  His  praise  is  "  a  King- 
dom." A  kingdom  implies  a  king,  He  is  King 
of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords. 


108  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

This  is  the  teaching  of  Inspiration.  Is  it 
necessary  to  add  that  the  inspired  i^ennien  ex- 
The devout     ^^\^  jn  tliis   Conception    of   God?     It 

believer  rc= 

joices  in  sooms  to  thcm  right  that  God  should 

God's  Sover=         .  ^  .     . 

eignty.  rcign.       His    dominion    appears    to 

them  to  be  righteous  and  good.  Not  only  do 
they  never  resent  it;  they  congratulate  them- 
selves because  of  it.  The  holiest  minds  of  the 
ages,  the  minds  which  were  chosen  of  God  to 
receive  His  message,  and  were  filled  with  the 
Spirit  in  communicating  the  same,  dwell  with 
awe  and  with  rapt  delight  upon  the  sublime 
thought  of  a  sovereign  God.  In  the  light  of 
their  example  we  may  well  ask  whether  impa- 
tience with  the  Sovereignty  of  God  is  the  mark 
of  a  sanctified  mind  renewed  by  grace  and  led 
of  the  Spirit? 

Whatever  exalts  God  in  the  thought  of  His 

13eox)lo  strengthens  their  spiritual  life.     To  one 

who  said  to  Tennyson,  "My  dearest 

panteth  after  objcct  in  life,  wlieii  at  my  best,  is  to 

Hie  water  j  ^j^^     ^^^.j^     |         hoWCVCr    littlcN 

brooks.  '       "^ 

better  than  I  found  it,"  he  answered, 
"  My  greatest  wish  is  to  have  a  clearer  vision  of 
God."  Reverence  and  the  sense  of  dependence 
may  be  cultivated  with  great  profit.     God  is  our 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  GOD  109 

Sovereign.  All  our  springs  are  in  Him.  If  He 
has  chosen  us  unto  salvation  we  know  Him  as 
King  of  our  life.  Our  thoughts  dvrell  upon  the 
infinite  love  and  condescension  of  electing 
grace,  and  we  have  sweet  and  sublime  concep- 
tions of  the  divine  nature.  We  long  to  see  the 
King  in  His  beauty.  The  prayer  of  Moses  is 
the  prayer  of  every  devout  heart,  "I  beseech 
thee,  shew  me  thy  glory."  And  our  prayer  is 
answered  when  He  causes  His  goodness  in  our 
redemption  to  pass  before  us. 

In  the  lives  of  His  chosen  ones  God's  Sov- 
ereignty is  conspicuous.      He  names 

^      ''  TheSover^       Acts  i3;.48. 

those  who>are  ordained  to  eternal  life,  eigntyofocd 
This  is  an  act  of  "  that  good,  and  ac-  the  origin' cf 
ceptable,   and  perfect  will  of  God."  '•^^^'^^p^'^"-    ''°"^-  ''^^' 
It  is   a  sovereign  choice.     "  He  hath  mercy  on  Rom.  9:18. 
whom  He  will  have  mercy."     He  asks  no  man's 
permission,  and  defends  His  acts  to  none.     To 
His  chosen  ones  He  "grants  rei^entance  unto  Acts  11:18. 
life."     It  is  a  wise  choice.     In  view  of  reasons 
and   motives   which  man   cannot   fathom   God 
makes  up  the  number  of  His  elect.     It  is  a  gra- 
cious choice.     In  face  of  all  the  resistance,  re- 
bellion, and  guilt  of  His  chosen  ones  He  writes 
their  names  in  His  Book  of  Life.      It  is  an  irre- 


Isa.  14:24. 


110  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

vocable  choice.  Before  the  foundation  of  the 
world  He  ordains  our  salvatioR,  and  swears,  say- 
ing, "As  I  have  thought,  so  shall  it  come  to 
l^ass;  and  as  I  have  purposed,  so  shall  it  stand." 
The  divine  Sovereignty  next  appears  in  the 
calling  of  the   chosen  ones.     This  is 

And  compel 

them  to  the  first  step  in  the  accomplishment 

of  His  choice.  He  draws  the  elect 
into  the  fold.  Their  will  is  not  driven,  but 
there  is  certainty  of  adoption  in  every  case. 
Certainty  is  not  necessity,  but  God  never  fails. 
As  Sovereign  He  can  surround  His  chosen  ones 
with  influences,  and  present  motives  which, 
through  the  power  of  the  Sjoirit,  will  secure  the 
ordained  result.  He  works  within  us  to  will 
and  to  do  of  His  good  jjleasure.  This  is  our 
confidence  when  we  pray  for  the  conversion  of 
friends,  that  He  can  overcome  the  strongest  re- 
sistance. There  is  a  mighty,  resistless,  and 
loving  constraint  in  sovereign  grace  which 
moves  in  line  with  the  moral  freedom  of  man, 
and  at  the  same  time  infallibly  brings  man  a 
willing  cax)tive  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His,  and  saves 
them  every  one. 

And  then  sovereignty  appears  in  the  growing 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  GOD  111 

life  of  GocVs  chosen  ones.      Their  progress  in 
divine   things  is  all  of  grace.     God  Progress  in 
takes   their    lives   into  his   keeping.   ,i,edepend=" 
Their  faith,  their  knowledge  of  truth,   «"*  "p«"  the 

sovereignty 

their  success  in  service,  their  victory  of  GoU. 
over  temptation,  their  peace  of  mind,  their 
jpower  to  win  souls,  their  prevalence  in  prayer, 
their  Christian  assurance,  all  the  elements  that 
go  to  make  up  the  life  that  is  hid  with  Christ 
in  God,  are  His  bestowment.  If  Christians  are 
ever  despondent,  it  is  because  they  have  lost 
their  hold  upon  sovereign  grace.  They  pei'haps 
think  of  it  as  a  sort  of  friendly  ally,  coming  in 
to  reinforce  human  strength  when  that  is  not 
equal  to  its  task.  Let  such  disciples  throw 
themselves,  their  sin,  their  salvation,  their  work, 
wholly  upon  God.  No  Christian  can  make  him- 
self spiritually  great.  He  can  inflate  himself, 
but  all  true  magnifying  must  come  from  God. 
"  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Joshua,  This  day  will 
I .  begin  to  magnify  thee  in  the  sight  of  all 
Israel."  Christian  living  is  letting  Christ  live 
in  the  soul,  surrendering  itself  utterly  to  God. 

We  have  gone  far  enough  to  see  that  God  as 
sovereign  is  personally  i)resent  in  His  world. 
Sovereignty  is  not  an  impersonal   law,    nor   a 


112  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

self' acting  force  controlling  events. 
noHxer^Ised  ^^^  ^^  ^^^  ^^  absentee  landlord,  rul- 
from  with-      jj^or  from  a  distance  tenants  in  whoso 

out.  - 

welfare  He  has  no  interest.  He  is 
here  among  His  people,  not  far  from  every  one 
of  them.  It  has  been  said  that  the  Old  Testa- 
ment makes  God  a  partaker  in  the  life  of  man, 
while  the  New  Testament  makes  man  a  partaker 
in  the  life  of  God.  The  truth  is  that  both  cove- 
nants bring  God  down  to  man,  and  lift  man  up 
to  God.  If  under  the  former  dispensation 
Jehovah  took  an  active  and  personal  part  in  the 
domestic  and  political  affairs  of  ancient  Israel, 
so  under  the  new  dispensation  He  came  to  earth 
as  Immanuel,  God  with  us,  the  Word  made  flesh. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  Peter  and  Paul  and  John 
shared  in  the  life  of  their  risen  Lord,  so  also 
Abraham,  Moses,  and  David  enjoyed  the  in- 
dwelling of  God  within  their  souls.  Adoption 
into  God's  family  is  essentially  one  thing  all 
through  the  Bible.  God  becomes  a  partaker  in 
man's  life  that  He  may  make  man  a  partaker  in 
His  life.  The  more  sovereign  He  is  the  more 
completely  does  He  reign  in  human  hearts. 
This  is  the  scrii^tural  teaching.  The  Bible 
exalts    God   as   King,— a   sovereign   upon   His 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  GOD  113 

throne  in  heaven  and  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of 
His  chosen  ones.  His  sovereignty  is  not  a 
dominion  exercised  from  the  outside,  but  the 
direct  authority  and  power  of  His  jjersonal 
presence. 

It   is   also   manifest   that  the  sovereignty  of 
God  appears  most  glorious   in   spiritual  things. 
True,  He  created  matter  and  called  forth  light 
and  gave  laws   to  the  material   uni- 
verse.    But  a  single  soul  born  anew,   po^ver^Ind 
and  made  meet  for  its  heavenly  in-  g^^'^ead 

manifested 

heritance,   is   a   sublimer   trophy   of  most  \von= 

TT-  -\r    -      ,'  •     TT"  1      drously  in 

His  power.  Majestic  as  is  His  march  the  spiritual 
through  ttu3  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  '"*^'"'' 
His  ongoings  are  more  wonderful  in  the  open- 
ing chapters  of  John's  Gospel.  These  are  the 
twin  chapters  of  the  Bible.  In  the  one,  God 
ax^i^ears  as  sovereign  in  the  realm  of  matter ;  in 
the  other  as  sovereign  in  the  realm  of  spirit. 
Both  go  back  to  the  beginning,  and  both  bring 
order  out  of  chaos.  Moses  tells  us  how  animal 
life  was  created  ;  John  shows  us  how  spiritual 
life  begins.  And  the  spiritual  sovereignty  is  by 
far  the  grander.  God  rules  the  spirit  of  man. 
He  knows  its  laws,  for  He  imposed  them.  "The 
king's  heart  is  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord,   as  the 


Prov.  2i:i. 


U4  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

rivers  of  water  ;  he  tunietli  it  withersover  he 
will. "  The  day  of  Pentecost  witnessed  a 
more  marvellous  disjjlay  of  the  sovereigi) 
power  of  God,  than  the  day  when  smi  and 
moon  stood   still    upon  Giheon.  It    was   a 

little  thing  for  Christ  to  say,.  Take  \\\)  thy 
bed  and  walk,  as  compared  with  his  saying,  Thy 
sins  be  forgiven  thee.  It  ought  not  to  be  diffi- 
cult for  the  Christian  to  accept  the  miracles  of 
the  Bible,  for  in  his  own  soul  he  has  felt  more 
wonderful  effects  of  God's  might  than  any  that 
he  reads  of  in  the  list  of  i3hysical  marvels 
wrought  by  Christ.  The  wonder  is  not  that 
God  can  create  a  world,  but  that  He  can  save  a 
soul,  that  He  can  allure  it  from  sin  to  His  ser- 
vice, that  He  can  imx3art  to  it  a  new  divine  life, 
that  He  can  purify  it  and  add  to  it  grace  on 
grace,  and  at  last  i^resent  it  faultless  before  the 
presence  of  His  glory.  This  is  the  wonder  of 
divine  sovereignty.  Do  not  think  of  God 
chiefly  as  Ruler  of  a  material  universe.  Do  not 
fancy  that  He  exhibits  His  highest  power  in 
the  exercise  of  physical  force.  Tiiat  is  pastime 
isa. 40:15.  "  He  taketli  up  the  isles  as  a  very  little  thing.' 
His  ri'al  scjvereignty  is  in  the  hearts  and  lives 
of  His  chosen  ones. 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OF  GOD  115 

It  is  equally  evident  that  God's  sovereignty  is 
one  of  love.  It  is  the  rule  of  a  Father.  Some 
one  has  said  that  a  monarchy  is  the 
best  possible  form  of  government  uai  reign  the 
when  the  monarch  is  worthy  to  rule,  JJ^j^p^go*  [|! 
and  the  worst  possible  when  he  is  un- 
worthy. No  happier  condition  for  the  human 
race  could  be  conceived  than  to  be  under  the 
absolute  dominion  of  such  a  God  as  the  Bible 
reveals.  His  wisdom  tells  Him  v/hat  is  the  best 
plan  for  the  created  universe,  His  love  prompts 
Him  to  undertake  it,  and  His  iDower  enables 
Him  to  carry  it  out.  The  stronger  our  faith  in 
such  sove;'eignty,  the  securer  our  hox)e,  the 
sweeter  our  peace.  The  more  earnestly,  under 
such  conditions,  we  can  pray,  ''Thy  will  be 
done, "  the  sooner  will  Christ's  kingdom  come 
on  earth.  Every  sinner  chosen  of  God  unto 
salvation  is  a  witness  that  God's  throne  is 
founded  on  love.  And  hence  it  always  works 
for  beneficent  ends.  Why  be  jealous  of  too 
much  sovereignty  in  God  as  if  it  were  an  iron 
rule  which  could  not  be  trusted  out  of  sight  ? 
Imagine  a  merchant  engaged  in  some  business 
which  he  ardently  hopes  to  bring  to  a  success- 
full  issue.     Suppose  that  he  receives  promise  of 


116  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

aid  from  an  unseen  but  powerful  friend.  This 
friend,  we  will  say,  is  able  to  remove  all 
obstacles  from  the  merchant's  path,  to  give  him 
prompt  and  infallible  counsel  as  to  his  course, 
and  to  crown  his  plans  with  unerring  success. 
Would  not  the  merchant  rejoice  in  such  guid- 
ance ?  Would  he  not  say,  Let  the  powder  of  this 
unknown  ally  bo  as  great  as  possible?  But  this 
is  only  a  faint  illustration  of  the  happy  lot  of 
every  child  of  God.  The  power  which  works 
for  him,  and  in  him,  ever  works  for  his 
good.  Each  moment  God  is  doing  the 
best  possible  for  him,  far  better  than  he  could 
do  for  himself. 

If  we  think  of  ourselves  as  chosen  of  God  we 
Benefits  of  ^^^  thus  led  up  to  exalted  views  of 
meditation      jj^g  nature.     Rigliteous  men  find  sat- 

on  God's 

greatness.  isfactiou  in  meditating  ui^on  the 
grandeur  of  God's  government.  Read  tlie 
Psalms,  the  Prophets,  the  book  of  Revelation. 
How  have  these  men  stood  before  the  very 
throne,  and  seen  their  heavenly  King  high  and 
lifted  up.  Faith  in  Christian  adoption  magni- 
fies God  in  the  thought  of  His  people.  It  makes 
Him  seem  glorious.  It  enthrones  Him  in  the 
love  and  reverence  of  His  chosen  ones.     It  cor- 


THE  SOVEREIGNTY  OB'  GOD  111 

rects  an  undue  familiarity  with  Him  which 
sometimes  weakens  the  piety  of  good  men.  It 
deepens  the  sense  of  dependence  uj)on  the  divine 
arm.  It  exhilarates  and  steadies  the  spiritual 
life.  No  man  can  stand  at  Chamounix,  and  gaze 
at  Mont  Blanc,  and  not  be  lifted  out  of  his  little 
world.  Let  us  make  God  great  to  our  spiritual 
vision.  We  need  the  Isaiah  spirit.  Let  the 
greatness,  and  the  grandeur,  and  the  majesty  of 
God  often  pass  before  the  mind.  Cultivate  the 
grace  of  adoration.  The  kingly  attributes  of 
God  shine  in  both  Law  and  Gospel.  He  com- 
mands us  imx^eratively,  and  He  saves  us  in  sov- 
ereign fashion.  By  the  grace  of  God  we  are 
what  we  are.  Be  not  afraid  of  making  too 
much  of  the  sovereignty  of  God.  The  Bible 
makes  much  of  it  and  we  are  safe  in  ascribing 
to  God  all  the  power  and  might  and  dominion 
which  are  given  Him  in  the  Word.  Conceive 
of  Him  in  all  the  Scriptural  loveliness  and  con- 
descension of  His  Royal  nature.  Pray  for  new 
visions  of  the  King  in  His  beauty.  They  enrich 
the  heart.  They  ennoble  the  life.  "For  he  is 
Lord  of  lords,  and  King  of  kings;  and  they  that 
are  with  him  are  called,  and  chosen,  and  faith-  ^^^'  ^7:14. 
ful." 


Chapter  X. 
THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST. 


The  sufferings  of  Christ  would  have  been  necessary 
had  there  been  only  one  to  be  saved,  and  would  have  been 
found  sufficient  had  the  whole  huraan  race  been  to  rank 
among  the  redeemed,  just  as  the  arrangement  which 
exists  for  the  outward  illumination  of  our  globe  would 
have  been  required  had  there  been  but  one  inhabitant  to 
reap  the  benefit  presently  enjoyed,  and  would  have  been 
sufiicient  had  there  been  many  more  millions  in  existence 
than  actually  inhabit  the  earth.  — Symington. 

If  you  would  know  the  Cross  you  must  first  die  upon 
it.     No  man  is  in  the  church  who  has  not  been  crucified. 

— Joseph  Parker. 

Upon  that  place  stood  a  Cross,  and  a  little  below  in 
the  bottom  a  Sepulchre.  So  I  saw  in  my  dream  that  just 
as  Christian  came  up  with  the  Cross,  his  burden  loosed 
from  off  his  shoulders,  and  fell  from  off  his  back,  and 
began  to  tumble,  and  so  continued  to  do,  till  it  came  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Sepulchre,  where  it  fell  in  and  I  saw  it 
no  more.  Then  was  Christian  glad  and  lightsome,  and 
said  with  a  merry  heart.  He  hath  given  me  rest  by  His 
sorrow,  and  life  by  His  death.  Then  he  stood  still  awhile 
to  look  and  to  wonder;  for  it  was  very  surprising  to  him 
that  the  sight  of  the  Cross  should  thus  ease  him  of  his 
burden.  — John  Bunyan. 

Many  things  which  Christianity  contains  I  find  in 
Hindooism;  but  there  is  one  thing  which  Christianity  has 
and  Hindooism  has  not,  and  that  is  a  Savior. 

— A  Converted  Hindoo, 

118 


THE  MERITS  OF  CnPdST  119 

First  I  was  shown  that  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ, 
his  Son,  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin,"  and  then  it  was 
made  plain  to  me  that  he  who  had  thus  cleansed  had 
power  to  keep  me  clean;  so  I  just  utterly  yielded  myself 
to  him,  and  utterly  trusted  him  to  keep  me. 

— Frances  Ridley  Havergal. 

He  prays  for  those  whose  cruelties  he  endures,  remem- 
bering that  he  is  not  dying  by  them  but  for  them. 

— Augustine. 

I  saw  a  vessel  which  the  waves  did  spare, 

Lie  sadly  stranded  on  a  sandy  beach. 

Beyond  the  tide's  kind  reach: 

Within  its  murmur  of  lamenting  speech 
Long  lay  she  there; 

Until  at  length 

A  mighty  sea  arose  in  all  its  strength. 

And  launched  her  lovingly. 
And  thus,  alas,  our  race 

Lay  stranded  on  the  beach  of  human  sin 

And  misery. 

Beyond  all  help,  until  God's  gracious  grace, 

A  mighty  tide, 

All  crimson  dyed. 

Swept  grandly  in. 

And  set  us  free.  — Anon. 


The  gospel   in   one   respect  is  like   a  fleece 
of  wool.      Take  it  up   at  any  point  coherence 
and   all  the   rest  clings  to  it.     Tear  tri^Tetor 
away  any  part  and  the  other  portions  z^ce. 
come   with   it.      Christian   truth  coheres.      Its 
parts  are  intrinsically  related.     They  are  mem- 
bers one  of  another.     There  is  a  beautiful  sym- 
pathy among  them,  as  of  a  household.      While 
for  purposes  of  study  they  are  often  arranged 
in  what  is  supposed  to  be  logical  order,  we  may 


120  CHOSEN  OF  GOt> 

begin  with  any  one  of  the  leading  truths  of  the 
Gospel  with  the  certainty  of  soon  coming  upon 
all  the  rest.  All  doctrines  lead  to  the  Cross. 
Begin  our  search  for  truth  in  the  Bible  where 
we  will,  we  speedily  come  to  Calvary  where  all 
truth  centers. 

A  striking  illustration  of  this  appears  in  the 
use  which  Christ  himself  made  of  the 

Christ  ex- 
plains the       Scriptures.      We  refer  to  the  s^Decial 

pains  he  took,  not  during  his  active 
ministry,  but  after  his  resurrection,  to  unfold 
the  Word  to  His  disciples.  On  the  way  to 
Emmaus,  "  beginning  at  Moses  and  all  the  pro- 
l^hets,  he  expounded  unto  them  in  all  the  scrip- 
Luke  24:27,  tures  the  things  concerning  himself."  The  same 
evening  at  Jerusalem,  in  a  larger  audience,  he 
"opened  their  understanding,  that  they  might 
understand  the  scri^Dtures."  The  time  is  signif- 
icant. They  could  not  understand  the  "all 
things  "  which  "  must  be  fulfilled,"  which  were 
written  in  the  law  of  Moses,  and  in  the  prophets, 
and  in  the  psalms,  concerning  me,"  until  after 
the  crucifixion.  And  why  not?  Because  His 
sacrificial  death  was  the  fulfilment  and  the  ex- 
planation of  type  and  prophecy.  They  never 
understood  His  prophetic  allusions  to  His  com- 


44.45- 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  121 

ing  death  while  that  death  was  unaccomplished. 
But  so  soon  as  the  Lamb  had  been  sacrificed, 
and  the  Lord  had  laid  on  Him  the  iniquity  of 
us  all,  Jesus  could  show  them  how  all  the  Scrip- 
tures centered  in  this  event.  And  so  those 
last  days  of  our  Lord  on  earth  were  si:)ent  by 
Him  in  preparing  His  disciples  for  their  work 
of  witnessing,  in^revealing  to  them  the  meaning 
and  the  glory  of  the  Cross. 

And  another  fact  is  equally  significant.  The 
disciples  never  thereafter  expressed  Christ's  cho= 
the  slightest  regret  at  the  death  of  notmTurn* 
their  Lord.  It  is  natural  to  mourn  "'^  death, 
the  loss  of  xdear  friends.  No  friend  was  dearer 
to  the  apostles  than  Christ.  Yet  they  always 
gloried  in  His  death.  If  at  first  they  lamented, 
yet  after  He  had  expounded  to  them  in  all  the 
scriptures  the  things  concerning  Himself,  they 
never  once  bewailed  the  shame  and  the  agony 
of  the  Cross.  Not  once  did  they  suggest  that 
mankind  had  suffered  a  great  loss  when  the 
Light  of  the  World  was  apparently  extinguished 
on  Calvary.  On  the  contrary,  they  proclaimed 
that  the  death  of  their  best  friend  was  the 
dawning  of  hope  for  the  world.  "  God  forbid 
that   I   should   glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our 


Gal,  6:14. 


isa.  53:5 


Eph.  1:4-6. 


122  •       CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Lord  Jesus  Christ."  How  shall  we  explain  it? 
"  By  his  stripes  wo  are  healed."  The  shedding 
of  blood  prevailed  for  the  remission  of  sins. 
This  fact  the  disciples  learned  from  His  own 
liX3s  after  he  had  risen  from  the  grave.  Their 
Scriptures  were  full  of  it.  It  met  the  needs  of 
their  hearts.  Tlio)^  heralded  it  as  the  substance 
of  the  Gospel  to  all  who  would  listen  to  their 
words. 

Christ  Himself  then  is  the  Truth,  and  we  are 
not  like  the  stupid  soldiers  before  the  Cross,  of 
wdiom  it  is  said  that  "  sitting  down  they 
watched  Him  there,"  but  like  the  disciples 
whose  understanding  was  opened.  Taking  our 
position  with  them,  and  hearing  His  voice,  we 
may  come  to  understand  how  it  was  that  God 
chose  us  unto  salvation  and  eternal  life. 

Our  first  discovery  is  that  God's  choice  of  us 

rests   upon   Christ   and   His   merits.      We  are 

"chosen  in  him."     Our  entrance  into 

Christians 

are  chosen  the  Father's  family  is  secured  by  our 
'"  ^'"■"''*  Elder  Brother.  In  the  fourth,  fifth, 
and  sixth  verses  of  the  first  chapter  of  Exohes- 
ians  Paul  dwells  on  the  fact.  First  he  says  that 
"God  hath  chosen  us  in  him  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world."     Repeating  the  thought  for 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  123 

emphasis  in  the  next  verse  he  declares  that  the 
Father  has  "  i^reJestinated  us  into  the  adoi^tion 
of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself."  And 
as  if  still  reluctant  to  pass  by  a  fact  so  gracious 
he  adds  in  the  sixth  verse  that  "  he  hath  made 
us  accejDted  in  the  beloved."  If  we  reflect  on 
the  force  of  these  phrases  we  be^gin  to  under- 
stand how  God  could  choose  us.  He  looked  ux> 
on  us  in  Jesus  Christ.  Not  in  our  worthiness 
was  there  any  ground  for  God's  choice  to  rest 
upon.  But  Christ  took  our  part.  As  a  prince 
might  make  the  cause  of  a  revolted  j)rovince  his 
own,  and  identify  himself  with  rebels  to  save 
them,  so  Christ  became  one  of  us  for  our  re- 
demption. And  as  the  king  might  behold  his 
rebellious  subjects  in  the  person  of  his  son,  so 
God  beheld  and  accepted  us  in  the  Beloved. 
We  owe  it  all  to  Christ.  It  is  naught  to  our 
credit  that  we  were  chosen.  The  best  and  the 
worst  are  alike  unworthy.  In  Jesus  Christ  they 
stand  equal  before  God.  They  are  accepted 
in  Christ  because  he  is  infinitely  worthy. 

And  hov7  does  Christ  open  the  way  foi  God 
to  choose  us? 

First,  by  providing  for  our  sin.     As  chosen 


2  Tim.  1:9. 


124  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

I.  His  blood    ones   we   must   have   pardon    at   the 
^  .  from  all  sin.    stai't.     "In   wliom  we  have  redemi)- 

Eph.  1:7. 

tion  through  his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins, 
according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace."  It  seems 
impossible  for  Paul  to  make  any  tender  allusion 
to  Christ  without  being  immediately  reminded 
of  the  Cross.  After  saying  in  one  verse  that  we 
are  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  he  declares  in  the 
next  that  the  ground  of  that  accex)tance  is  the 
sacrificial  death  of  Christ.  God's  choice  of  us 
could  not  be  consummated  so  long  as  we  were 
•  under  the   condemnation   of   the   law.      Christ 

came  and  satisfied  the  law's  demands.  He  was 
made  sin  for  us.      "  Christ  hath  redeemed  us 

GaK  3:13!^"  from  the  curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse 
for  us."  Therefore  we  are  no  longer  under  con- 
demnation, because,  being  in  Christ,  we  are  no 
longer  under  law.     We  are  worthy  of  condem- 

1  Cor.  6:20.  nation,  but  we  have  been  bought  with  a  price. 
We  are  as  guilty  as  ever,  but  the  chastisement 
of  our  i)eace  is  upon  him.  Observe  that  this  is 
not  a  human  theory  of  the  death  of  Christ,  but 
The  Bible       the  insi)ired  exx^lanation  of  it.     The 

explains  the     ,.      .     ,  l         ^         -  l\ 

Cross.  bcnptures  not  only  give  us  the  rec- 

ord of  the  crucifixion;  they  unfold  its  meaning. 
Narrative  and  exxolanation  go  side  by  side.     If 


Isa.  53:5: 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  125 

a  friend  gives  me  a  beautiful  casket,  he  will 
give  me  the  key.  We  are  not  left  to  guess  at 
the  import  of  that  terrible  event  which  took 
Ijlace  on  a  green  hill,  without  the  city's  wall, 
eighteen  centuries  since.  We  must  not  be  mis- 
led by  the  assertion  that  the  sacrifice  on  Calva- 
ry is  so  mysterious  that  we  cannot  presume  to 
understand  it.  We  have  a  right  to  understand 
the  mysteries  of  grace  so  far  as  the  Bible  in- 
structs us.  By  God  Himself,  in  His  inspired 
word,  we  are  invited  to  understand  Calvary. 
By  our  Lord  Himself  we  are  taught  the  place  of 
His  atonement  in  our  redemption.  Not  only 
by  word,  as  where  He  says  that  He  came  to 
give  His  life  a  ransom  for  many,  but  by  the  sac- 
rament of  the  Supper  which  brings  the  broken 
body  and  the  shed  blood  perpetually  to  remem- 
brance. But  the  Cross  is  a  mystery?  Yea, 
verily, —  strip  the  Cross  of  mystery  and  there  is 
no  Cross.  "  This  is  the  Lord's  doing;  it  is 
marvellous  in  our  eyes."  Marvellous,  therefore 
divine.  The  agnostic  says:  "  Marvellous,  there- 
fore unintelligible,"  and  the  sceptic,  "Marvel- 
lous, therefore  incredible."  Poor  logicians.  What 
God  does  He  does  in  His  divine  way,  not  man^ 
fashion,  but  the  Spirit  takes  of  the  things  of 


Mat,  20:28. 


Ps.  118:23. 


126  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Christ  and  shows  them  unto  us.  There  are  depths 
of  truth  in  the  Cross  which  we  cannot  fathom. 

Dcut.  29:29.  The  secret  things  belong  unto  the  Lord  our  God. 
But  there  are  things  which  are  revealed  and 
which  belong  to  us  and  to  our  children.  It  is 
wrong  for  us  to  ignore  them  under  a  false  hu- 
mility of  ignorance.  Christ  died  for  our  sins. 
Atonement  provides  for  ado^otion.  The  chosen 
one  can  never  forget  the  Cross.  He  will  say 
that  it  was  raised  on  Calvary  for  the  sin  of  the 
world.     Nay,  he  will  say  that  he  alone  needs  it 

*  all,  every  drop  of  blood,  the  entire  sacrifice,  the 

whole,   great,   rugged,   cruel,  blessed   Cross   of 
Christ,  for  his  redemption  and  his  hox3e. 

The  merits  of  our  Savior  are  the  ground  of 
3.  His  our   adoption  in   another   way.     We 

Phil.  3:9.  ne^ss^be"*'  ^^®  clothcd  in  His  righteousness, 
comes  ours,    ^q  p^t  on  the  Lord   Jesus.      "  By 

Rom,  13:14.  ^  *' 

^''^^'  the  obedience  of  one  shall  many  be  made  right- 

eous." We  are  not  holy  but  He  is  holy,  and  as 
our  sin  is  laid  on  Him,  His  holiness  is  laid  on 
us.  The  chosen  one  can  never  earn  his  inher- 
itance by  works,  yet  he  may  have  "  the  blessed- 
Rom  -6  ^®^^  ^^  ^^^®  m^w  unto  whom  God  imxniteth 
righteousness  without  works."  Thus  the  jus- 
tice of  God  is  not  evaded,  but  satisfied.     Li  Je- 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  127 

sus  Christ  the  law  is  honored,  not  abrogated. 
His  perfect  obedience  is  thrown  over  us  like  a 
robe,  and  so  by  the  righteousness  of  one,  the 
free  gift  comes  to  us.  No  wonder  that  Paul  de- 
sired to  bo  found  in  Him,  not  having  his  own 
righteousness.  Let  the  chosen  one  beware  of 
falling  back  from  ''  the  spirit  of  adoption"  into 
the  old  legal  spirit,  which  measures  one's  hope 
of  salvation  by  his  success  in  doing  God's  will. 
This  is  a  subtle  temptation  of  Satan,  to  per- 
suade us  to  be  despondent  because  our  lives  are 
imperfect.  He  decoys  us  down  to  the  law 
basis,  whereas  it  is  our  high  privilege  to  stand 
on  the  foundations  of  grace,  clothed  in  the  spot- 
less robe  of  Christ's  righteousness,  and  so 
"  saved  by  his  life."  Rem.  sao. 

In  what  then  does  the  attractiveness  of  the 
Cross  consist?  How  shall  we  exx^lain  Lessons 
its  facination,  its  impressiveness?  cross. 
There  have  been  thousands  of  martyrs  whose 
deaths,  merely  as  historical  events,  have  been 
outwardly  more  thrilling  than  that  of  Christ. 
Why  have  not  these  made  the  lasting  impres- 
sion upon  the  world  which  has  been  made  by 
this  one  crucifixion  on  Calvary?  Because  God 
was  in  Christ  reconciling  the  world  to  Himself. 


128  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

This  fact  makes  the  moment  when  our  Lord 
cried,  "  It  is  finished,"  the  central  point  in  the 
history  of  mankind. 

From  this  point  of  view  the  believer  is  im- 
pressed with  the   guilt  of   that  sin  from  which 
he  is  saved.     He  had  not  thought  of 
sinfulness      it  as  being  so  grievous  until  he  saw 
of  Sin.  Christ  on  the  cross  as  his   ransom. 

The  world  trifles  with  sin  and  speaks  of  its 
guilt  with  flippant  carelessness.  It  is  "human 
nature."     It  is  a  misdemeanor  which  God  can 

^  easily  overlook.     It  is  counterbalanced  by  many 

virtues.  In  many  cases  it  is  chiefly  a  misfor- 
tune for  which  the  sinner  is  not  seriously 
responsible.  So  the  world  looks  at  sin.  Even 
the  pulpit  sometimes  encourages  men  to  regard 
themselves  as  unwilling  captives  of  sin.  A  New 
York  clergyman,  not  long  ago,  prayed,  "O  God, 
do  not  be  too  hard  on  us,  for  Thou  knowest  how 
dijQ&cult  it  is  for  us  to  do  right."  But  the 
chosen  one  is  brought  face  to  face  with  the 
cross,  and  in  the  greatness  of  salvation  he  sees 
the  greatness  of  guilt.  Here  the  price  of  his 
redemption  is  paid,  "  not  with  corruptible  things, 

19. '  '   '    as  silver  and  gold,  but  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ"    Why  this  priceless  sacrifice?  "All  this 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  129 

agony,"  he  says,  "to  save  me!"  He  takes  his 
measurements  of  salvation,  its  length,  its  breadth, 
its  height,  its  depth  from  the  Cross,  and  he  asks 
if  the  sacrifice  is  not  too  great.  But  everything 
connected  with  it  is  great.  God  Himself  is 
great,  and  it  is  His  salvation.  The  human  soul 
is  great.  Immortality  and  eternity  are  great. 
Great  is  the  blessedness  of  heaven,  and  as  great 
the  misery  of  hell.  In  seeing  how  grace  abounds 
he  begins  to  see  how  sin  abounds.  He  beholds 
God  resorting  to  this  awful  sacrifice;  he  sees 
Christ,  who  knows  what  sin  is,  coming  to  shed 
his  blood  that  the  sinner  may  be  saved.  And 
he  asks  himself.  Is  my  sin  then  so  cruel,  so 
monstrous  as  this?  And  he  feels  that  it  was  he 
himself  who  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory,  that 
his  wickedness  platted  the  crov/n  of  thorns,  and 
drove  the  nails,  and  pierced  the  bleeding  side. 
No  condemnation  of  the  law  smites  his  sin  like 
this.  The  silent  witness  of  the  Cross  agc*inst 
him  is  more  terrible  than  all  the  thunders  of 
Sinai.  He  trembles  as  he  rejoices,  to  think  what 
he  has  been  saved  from.  At  the  Cross  he  has 
looked  into  hell,  for  the  Cross  points  both  ways. 
And  he  vows  that  never  again  will  he  add  to 


130  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

that  sin  which  nailed  his  Savior  to  the  accursed 
tree. 

At  the  Cross  the  believer  is  also  impressed 
with   the   i)overty  of    those  virtues   which  are 

merely  human.  His  own  righteous- 
insufficiency  ness  never  looks  so  mean  as  when  he 
ro^dnrJ!       ^^^^^"^^  on  Calvary.     Once  he  fancied 

that  his  morality  might  at  least  com- 
mend him  to  the  mercy  of  God.  He  now  feels 
that  this  pride  of  character  was  one  of  his 
greatest  sins.  He  further  realizes  that  there 
w^as  not  in  his  heart  a  spark  of  obedient  love  to 
God.  He  has  been  saved  in  the  midst  of  a  life 
which  men  call  good.  Perhai3s  he  was  a  man 
above  reproach,  scrupulous  in  all  his  dealings 
vfith  his  fellow  men,  a  model  husband  and 
father,  a  covirteous  neighbor,  popular  for  his 
amiable  traits.  And  it  was  when  he  was  honest, 
and  kind,  and  highly  respected,  that  Christ 
loved  him,  and  died  for  him,  and  saved  him.  In 
all  his  integrity  and  sobriety,  the  precious  blood 
was  shed  to  o])tain  his  i^ardon  and  reconciliation 
with  God.  The  filthy  rags  of  his  righteousness 
w^ere  mercifully  stripped  off  that  he  might  be 
clothed  in  the  right(*ousness  of  Christ.  Such  is 
the  power  of    the  Cross.     It  can  save  not  only 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  131 

the  woman  of  Sauiaria,  and  the  thief  on  the 
Cross,  but  even  Nicodemus  and  the  young  man 
who  had  kept  all  the  commandments.  Not  only 
publicans  and  harlots  may  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  but  also  the  upright  and  the  devout,  if 
they  will  repent,— such  as  William  Wilberforce 
called  "the  poor,  wretched  upper  classes," — 
those  whom  Lord  Shaftesbury  denominated 
"  the  rich  and  noT:)le  heathen  of  London,  whose 
souls  are  starving."  Human  virtues  need  not 
stand  in  our  way.  Christ  will  save  us  in  spite  of 
them,  as  he  sr.ved  Paul.  The  blood  of  Clirist 
avails  for  the  most  eminent  exami)les  of  mor- 
ality. The  pride  of  goodness  is  indeed  a 
formidable  barrier  in  the  way  of  salvation,  a 
greater  obstacle  sometimes  than  all  other  vices, 
but  there  is  not  a  man  or  woman  so  conspicuous 
for  good  behavior,  so  attractive  because  of 
gracious  qualities  of  mind  and  heart,  but  that 
Christ  can  reach  down  and  lift  that  soul  out  of 
sin  and  death,  grant  a  free  and  full  forgiveness, 
and  an  abundant  entrance  into  the  household  of 
faith. 

At  the  Cross  the  believer  is  impressed  with 
the  i^remeditation  of  the  saving  love  of  God. 
That   is   not   the   highest   type   of  love  which 


132  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

c.  The  Eter=  acts  from  sudden  impulse.  It  may 
nity  of  re=  -^^  more  dramatic  in  action,  and  more 
love.  passionate   in   expression.      Its   out- 

bursts may  attract  special  attention  and  make  it 
seem  stronger  than  tlie  calm,  deliberate  love 
wliicli  plans  with  forethought,  and  patiently 
works  and  waits.  But  extempore  love  is  unsta- 
ble, unreliable,  and  weak.  Christ  came  to  the 
earth  with  the  Cross  in  mind.  Nay,  from  eternity 
Rev.  13:8.  he  had  been  bearing  that  Cross.  The  Lamb  was 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.  Wheii 
Love  first  chose  us  it  began  to  make  sacrifice  for 
us.  When  are  we  saved?  Objectively  on  Calvary 
when  Christ  dies  for  us.  Subjectively  at  con- 
version when  we  turn  from  sin  to  God.  Com- 
13letety  in  heaven  when  "  we  shall  see  him  as  he 
is. "  But  ideally  ages  ago  when  God  named  us 
and  God  covenanted  to  redeem  us.  Atonement 
is  eternal.  The  Cross  was  not  an  expedient  sud- 
denly devised  for  our  salvation.  The  promise  of 
redemption  was  made  in  time  when  man  fell, 
but  the  purpose  of  redemption  v/as  formed  in  the 
timeless  past.  Atonement  is  as  old  as  Adop- 
tion, and  Adoption  is  as  old  as  the  Foreknowl- 
edge of  God.  Thus  premeditat(ul  love  is  the 
lesson  of  Calvary.     Our  Savior  had  long   been 


THE  MERITS  OF  CHRIST  133 

looking  forward  to  the  Cross.     He  came  to  earth 

with   this   deliberate    purpose   of   being   slain. 

*'  For  this   cause  came  I  unto  this  hour.  "     His  John  12:27. 

mind   was    full   of   it   from  the    beginning  of 

his  ministry.     With  calm  resolution  he  "  stead- 

•^  Lk.9:5i. 

fastly  set  his  face  to  go  to  Jerusalem, "  toward 
the  Cross.  Love  which  thus  deliberates  and 
steadily  moves  toward  its  chosen  end  cannot 
fail.  God  so  loved  the  world.  In  the  beginning 
was  the  Cross.  It  is  thus  older  than  sin.  In 
the  striking  words  of  the  pastor  of  the  City  Tem- 
ple of  London  ;  "  Sin  struck  our  little  world  at  a 
given  moment — redemption  never  did.  That  is 
the  difference  between  sin  and  redemption.  Sin 
is  a  time  incident  ;  redemption  never  can  be 
that :  sin  is  something  that  happened  ;  redemp- 
tion is  part  of  God  *  *  *  The  devil's  range  is 
measured  by  one  stormy  night;  God's  love  be- 
longs to  God's  eternity. " 

In  every  way  the  chosen  one  is  im-  Linger  at  the 
pressed  at  the  Cross  with  the  dignity  ^^oss. 
and  grandeur  of  his  calling.  For  him  the  Fa- 
ther eternally  planned  this  wondrous  redemp- 
tion. For  him  the  Son  left  the  glory  of  heaven 
to  suffer  agony  and  death.  Angels  desire  to  look 
into  this  gospel.     What   must  be  the  worth  of 


134  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

the  human  soul  !  What  must  be  the  blessed- 
ness in  store  for  God's  chosen  one's  !  How  glo- 
rious their  inheritance  even  now  before  the  mor- 
tal puts  on  immortality  !  Frail,  unworthy,  in- 
comj)lete,  they  are  heirs  with  Christ !  Here  on 
earth  they  walk  in  heavenly  places  with  Him  ! 
What  God  hath  prepared  for  them  is  already  re- 
vealed to  them  by  the  Spirit !  They  are  sub- 
jects of  God's  peculiar  watch  and  care  !  And  all 
this,  and  more,  they  owe  to  the  infinite  merits  of 
the  Savior  who  for  them  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  Cross. 


Ohaptee  XI. 
THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST. 


The  hands  of  our  great  Intercessor  never  hanjx  down, 
as  Moses'  did,  nor  does  he  need  any  one  to  hold  them  up. 

— C.  H.  M. 

The  whole  Trinity  is  present  in  the  Christian's  closet; 
the  Father  hears;  the  Son  advocates  his  cause  at  the 
Father's  right  hand;  the  Holy  Spirit  intercedes  in  the 
heart  of  the  believer.  — Anon. 

The  day  never  comes  when  the  Lord  Jesus  is  not  at 
the  side  of  His  saints.  — F.  B.  Meyer. 

We  find  an  ally  to  our  faith  in  the  reality  of  prayer  in 
the  fact  that  it  is  always  seconded  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
Clirist.  No  believer  ever  prays  alone.  In  the  solitude  of 
African  wilds  Dr.  Livingstone  had  an  infinite  companion. 
In  mid^ocean  no  shipwrecked  sailor  ever  prays  without 
a  Friend  at  hand.     We  have  an  Advocate  with  the  Father. 

—Austin  Phelps. 

Our  Savior  often  withdrew  from  the  world  to 
pray.  In  solitude  He  sought  uninterrupted 
communion  with  God.  Once  at  The  prayers 
least  He  prayed  at  length  in  the  pres- 
ence of  His  disciples.  Many  seasons  of  prayer 
He  enjoyed  of  which  no  record  is  made.  Herein 
He  is  our  exami^le,  but  to  set  an  example  was 
not  his  chief  object.  He  prayed  because  He 
loved  to  pray.  The  Son  of  God,  tabernacling 
in  the  flesh,  felt  the  need  of  that  refreshment 
and  help  which  are  found  at  the  throne  of  grace. 

135 


13G  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

This  fact  bears  tlio  same  relation  to  our  faith 
in  prayer  which  Clirisrs  resurrection  bears  to 
The  infallible  o^^i'  hope  of  immortality.  He  rose 
proof  that      ^^^^^^  ^1^^  j^^^^^i   therefore  we  shall  live 

God  hears  ' 

prayer.  again.     He  prayed;  therefore  we  may 

pray  in  the  sure  confidence  that  God  hears 
prayer.  The  efficacy  of  prayer  stands  or  falls 
with  the  character  of  Jesus  Christ.  Just  here 
we  may  rest  all  our  arcniments  for  prayers  and 
all  our  answers  to  objections.  The  theory  that 
prayer  is  vain  makes  Christ  a  deceiver,  for  He 
taught  his  disciples  to  pray.  By  j)i'ecept  and 
by  exami^le  He  committed  Himself  to  the  doc- 
trine that  if  we  ask  we  shall  receive.  If  He 
was  holy  in  character  the  power  of  prayer  is  a 
fact  as  firmly  established  as  His  holiness.  For 
He  prayed.  He  prayed  as  a  man.  His  prayer 
was  not  alone  spiritual  communion  with  His 
Father.  It  was  petition.  He  asked  for  definite 
mercies.  This  is  evident  from  His  prayer  in 
the  garden,  His  Passover  prayer,  and  the  prayer 
which  He  taught  His  disciples.  He  knew  the 
value  of  supplication.  If  it  were  useless  He 
would  liever  have  prayed.  Every  objection 
to  prayer  is  therefore  answered  by  His  example. 
If  we  ever  hesitate  to  go  to  the  throne  of  grace 


THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST  137 

our  doubts  may  be  dissolved  by  this  fact.  The 
life  and  character  of  Jesus  Christ  establish  no 
truth  more  surely  than  this,  that  the  prayer  of 
faith  avails  with  God. 

For  what  did  our  Savior  pray?  Doubtless 
much  of  His  praying,  in  these  secret  interviews 
with  His  Father,  was  high  spiritual  intercourse 
to  wdiich  no  mortal  can  reach.  But  He  sought 
v/hat  w^e  all  seek  from  God.  As  a  T!ieinter= 
man  he  needed  comfort,  guidance,  chHsTbegan 
strength.  He  prayed  for  Himself.  <>"  earth. 
In  the  garden  He  prayed  that  the  cup  might 
pass  from  Him.  In  His  Passover  prayer  He 
besought  jjrod  to  glorify  Him.  Could  wo  have 
overheard  His  prayers  we  may  believe  that  in 
many  respects  they  would  have  seemed  not  un- 
like those  which  good  men  have  offered  in  all 
ages  since  His  time.  He  also  prayed  for  His 
discij)les.  In  those  mountain  vigils  He  wrest- 
led with  God  on  behalf  of  the  men  whom  He 
had  chosen.  This  we  gather  from  that  prayer 
which  He  offered  when  He  instituted  the  Sup- 
per. It  is  nearly  all  earnest  petition.  "  I  i^ray 
for  them;  I  pray  not  for  the  world,  but  for  them  john  17. 
which  thou  hast  given  me."  Security  (11-10), 
Sanctity  (17-19),  Unity  (21-23),  Glory  (2I-2G,) 


138  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

— are  llie  blessings  wliicli  He  invoked  upon  His 
chosen  ones — Security  in  God  necessary  to 
Sanctity,  personal  Sanctity  a  iDreparation  for 
spiritual  Unity,  and  all  issuing  in  the  Glory 
which  they  are  to  share  with  Him. 

A  touching  incidental  evidence  of  this  loving 
intercession  is  given  in  that  word  wdiich  He 
spoke  to  Peter.     "And  the  Lord  said,  Simon, 

Lk.  22:31,32.   Simon,  behold,  Satan  hath  desired  to  have  you, 
that  he  may   sift   you   as   wheat:   but   I   have 
prayed    for     thee,     that    thy    faith    fail   not." 
*  Through  this  affectionate  disclosure,  as  through 

a  window,  wo  look  ui)on  our  Savior  in  His 
private  devotions.  See  Him  naming  Peter,  and 
interceding  for  this  wavering  disciple  that  he 
may  not  fall  away.  We  are  impelled  to  infer 
that  the  names  of  His  followers  were  thus  often 
on  His  lips  in  prayer.  He  calleth  His  own 
sheep  by  name  in  His  petitions.  He  prays  for 
John,  and  for  Thomas,  for  you  and  for  me,  and 
for  all  who  shall  believe  on  His  name. 

Before  leaving  the  earth  our  Savior  promised 
His  chosen  ones  that  He  would  j)ray  for  them 
Proof  that      in   licaven.     "And    I   will   pray   the 

John  ,4-..6.    f„u.';'c'cm:;r  ^^^her,  and  he  shall  give  you  another 
for  US.  Comforter,  that  he   may   abide  with 


THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST  139 

you  forever."  Tlie  disciples  waited  ten  days 
and  Pentecost  came,  and  since  that  day  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  been  with  the  church.  The 
l^resence  of  the  Comforter  proves  two  facts,  that  Acts  2:33. 
Christ  is  enthroned,  and  that  He  is  offering 
Ijrevailing  prayer  for  His  peoj^le.  If  a  city  is 
in  sore  distress  from  famine,  and  sends  a  mes- 
senger for  help,  and  if  in  a  v/eek  an  ample  supply 
of  provisions  comes  back  to  the  afflicted  people, 
they  know  that  the  messenger  has  reached  his 
destination,  and  that  he  has  advocated  their 
case  with  success.  In  the  last  days  Christ  de- 
clared that  Ho  was  about  to  return  to  His  John  15:28. 
heavenly  ^  throne.  He  instructed  His  disciples  ^^ts  r -8 
to  tarry  at  Jerusalem,  promising  them  that  they 
should  receive  power  from  on  high,  "  not  many 
days  hence."  Shortly  the  timid,  despondent 
ai^ostles  were  transformed  into  fearless,  elo- 
quent, successful  preachers  of  the  gospel.  And 
from  their  day  this  same  gospel  has  been  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  millions. 
Wherefore?  Because  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
come.  What  then?  The  presence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  among  men  is  x^Tjof  of  Christ's  enthrone- 
ment and  availing  intercession  in  heaven. 

How  may  we  conceive  of  the  heavenly  inter- 


140  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

cession  of  Christ  ?  In  answering  this 
Christ's  in-  qucstion  we  are  to  remember  that  He 
tercession.  ^^  ^^^  exalted  on  high  to  continue, 
on  our  behalf,  the  work  which  He  began  on 
earth.  Intercession,  in  its  broad  sense,  is 
His  securing  to  us  those  benefits  for  which  the 
Cross  ijrovided,  so  that  it  is  not  so  much  a  nev/ 
and  distinct  undertaking  as  the  fulfilment  and 
completion  of  His  mission  as  Redeemer  of  his 
chosen  ones. 

That  it  is  founded  on  his  sacrifice  is  evident 

from  the  Scrij^tures.     It  was  the   High   Priest 

who  offered  the  sacrifice,  and  the  High 

;«"r;Qr;s  P^^st    who    entered    the    Holy    of 

our  represent  Holics  to  appear  bcforc  God  on  be- 

tative.  ^  ^ 

half  of  the  people.  Nov/  Christ  is 
called  "  a  priest  forever  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chisedec."  He  "hath  an  unchangeable  priest- 
hood. "  This  means,  of  course,  that  his  priestly 
office  continues  in  heaven,  which  corresj^onds  to 
the  Holy  of  Holies.     That   is,  He  has   entered 

Hob.  9:24.  "  into  heaven  itself ,  now  to  appear  in  the  pre- 
sence of  God  for  us.  "  And  as  the  High  Priest 
went  into  the  Holy  of  Holies  "once  every  year, 

iieb.97.  not  without  blood,  which  he  offered  for  himself, 
and  for  the  errors  of  the   j)eople,"  and  as  this 


Hcb.  5:1.  9: 
7.  7:i7.24. 


THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST  141 

ceremony  was  "the  example  and  shadow  of 
heavenly  thini^s,"  we  may  understand  that 
Christ  crucified  presents  Himself  before  God  as 
a  perpetual  plea  for  the  redemption  of  his 
13eoi)le.  Thus  "he  ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  them.  His  intercession  is 
His  sacrifice.  He  is  still  our  Mediator. 
The  mighty  plea  which  he  made  on  Calvary  he 
makes  to-day  before  God  and  the  hosts  of 
heaven.  The  Atonement  is  the  wonder  of  ^12."  ' 
angels  and  archangels  in  the  new  Jerusnlem. 

The  Cross  is  all  its  splendor, 
The  Crucified  its  praise* 

Those  hands,  pierced  by  our  sin,  are   clasped 
in  supplication  for  our  good,  a  silent  and  eternal 
petition   on   behalf   of   every   chosen    disciple. 
The  Lamb  is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne.     The  Rev.  5.6. 
believer  may  sing, 

Before  the  throne  my  Surety  stands, 
My  name  is  written  on  his  hands. 

And  herein  we  have  one  of  the  strongest 
proofs  that  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  was  an  offer- 
ing made  to  God,  and  not  chiefly  a  spectacle  to 
move  men,  but  an  expiation,  a  satisfaction, 
moving  God  to  pardon  sin  and  to  give  gifts  to 
men. 


U2  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

We  may  think   of  Christ's  intercession  as  a 

special  activity  on  his  j)art  to  secure   for   us   all 

,  ,^u„ ,..  spiritual  blessine:s.      It   is   the   ideal 

I  John  3.6,       ^    p,g  pigjjjg       f  ^ 

for  the  gifts  state  of  the  believer  that  he  should 
live  without  sin,  and  there  are  Chris- 
tians who  declare  that  for  a  given  period  they 
have  not  willfully  wandered  from  Christ.  Other 
Christians  feel  that  they  have  not  yet  attained, 
neither  are  already  perfect.  If  then  we  sin 
ijohn2:i,2,  after  adoption  "  we  have  an  advocate  with  the 
Father."  He  does  not  €^xcuse  our  sin.  He 
does  not  encourage  us  to  settle  down  into  the 
persuasion  that  a  sinless  life  is  unattainable. 
But  He  aj)pears  for  us  at  the  bar  of  God  when 
we  are  truly  penitent  for  sin,  and  are  trying  to 
forsake  it.  iVnd  it  is  noteworthy  that  John 
connects  this  advocacy  with  the  sacrifice  of 
Christ,  immediately  adding,  "He  is  the  pro- 
pitiation for  our  sins."  Paul  does  the  same  in 
Romans  8;  84,  where  the  two  facts  that  Christ 
died  and  that  He  is  making  intercession  for  us 
are  closely  yoked  together.  As  Christians  then 
we  need  not  despair,  even  though  we  are  con- 
scious of  sin.  We  need  daily  pardon,  and  for 
this  Christ  pleads. 

Not  only  pardon  but  growth   in  grace,    that 


THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST  143 

c  holiness  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Heb.  12:14. 
Lord, "  is  secured  to  us  through  Christ's  inter- 
cession. Whether  he  offers  vocal  petitions  we 
do  not  know.  He  uses  the  language  of  heaven. 
Many  blessings  for  which  we  have  not  prayed 
come  to  us.  Revivals  of  religion  spring  up  un- 
expectedly. Missionary  enterprises,  inspired 
from  above,  are  set  on  foot.  Such  men  as 
Wesley,  Luther,  Moody,  are  raised  up  to  do 
special  work.  Organizations  like  the  Sunday 
School,  the  Young  Men's  Christians  Associa- 
tion, the  Salvation  Army,  the  Christian  En- 
deavor Society,  apjjear  in  order  to  suj)plement 
the  work  of  the  church.  How  shall  we  account 
for  them  ?  Christ  is  praying  for  the  world. 
He  is  not  leaving  the  interests  of  His  kingdom 
solely  to  our  prayers.  His  mighty  faith  is  lay- 
ing the  case  before  God. 

And  this  suggests  that  it  is  a  part  of  Christ's 
intercessory  work  to  present  our  prayers  to  the 
Father.     By   this   is   meant   that   in       „ 

-^  3*  ne  pre- 

some  way  our  Saviour  makes  our  pe-  ®®"**  **"*■ 

prayers  to 

titions,  confessions,  thanksgivings  ac-  God. 
cei^table  to  God  and  prevalent  w4th  Him.     Of 
themselves    our    prayers    are    poor    and  weak* 
Sometimes  they  are  unwise.     Faith  is  small  and 


lU  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

desire    fluctuates.      We    are    not    importunate 

enough.       Christ  supplements    our    weakness. 

EpiK  2:18.     Paul  says  that  we  have  access  to  the   Father 

through  Christ.     Our  Savior  declares,  "  No  man 

John  14:6. 

16: 23,24.  Cometh  unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  It  is  as  if 
when  we  pray  Christ  took  us  by  the  hand,  and 
accompanied  us  to  the  throne  of  grace.  Thus 
we  pray  in  His  name.  A  good  Christian  once 
testified  that  all  his  prayers  had  been  answered 
which  ended  "  for  Christ's  sake."  This  is  the 
ground  on  which  our  Lord  promises  that  the 

Mat.  18: 19,  agreeing  prayer  of  two  or  three  disciples  shall 
be  answered.  "  It  shall  be  done  for  them  " — 
not  because  of  their  agreement,  but  because 
"  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them." 

We  see  the  difference  between  the  interces- 
sion of  Christ  and  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
Theinterces-  pi'^ycr.  The  Spirit  works  within  us, 
sionof  insi^iring  our  desires,  quickening  our 

Rom.  8:26.  ent  from  the  faith,  "  helping  our  infirmities."  He 
Spirit  in  u^^Y  be  likened  to  a  parent  teaching 
prayer.  ^  child  how  to  pray.     We  open  our 

mouth  and  the  Spirit  fills  it.  Our  best  x)rayers 
are  the  utterances  of  the  Spirit  speaking  through 
us.  God  does  not  wait  to  see  what  man  will 
pray  for,  hesitating  what  to  give  until  the  wish 


THE  INTERCESSION  OF  CHRIST  145 

of  His  children  shall  have  been  expressed.  He 
moves  us  to  ask.  He  "  re<ijenerates  our  desires." 
Our  ijrayer  is  not  ours.  "  Praying  in  the  Spirit," 
we  are  moved  to  ask  what  God  designs  to  give.  Eph,  6:i8. 
The  Psalmist  understood  prayer.  "  Delight 
thyself  also  in  the  Lord ;  and  he  shall  give  thee  ^'^-  ^'^^'^' 
the  desires  of  thine  heart."  Simply  because 
delight  in  God  awakens  those  desires  which  He 
is  ready  to  satisfy.  The  defect  in  our  prayers  is 
often  back  of  our  praying  in  our  ambitions. 
The  Holy  Spirit  purifies  the  source  of  prayer, 
viz:  "  the  desires  of  the  heart."  He  creates  that 
hungering  wdiich  God  vv^ill  feed.  The  interces- 
sion of  Christ,  on  the  other  hand,  may  be  likened 
to  a  parent  praying  for  a  child,  asking  God  to 
hear  the  childish  petitions,  rectifying  and  am- 
plifying those  petitions  with  larger  faith  and 
intelligence.  Thus  our  r)rayers  are  reinforced, 
purified,  enlarged  by  our  great  Advocate.  What 
we  rightly  ask  for,  upon  this  He  sets  the  seal  of 
His  intercession.  What  Vv-e  ask  amiss  -He  cor- 
rects. What  we  neglect  to  seek  He  supple- 
ments and  secures.  Thus  His  intercession  gains 
for  us  all  the  gifts  needful  to  salvation. 

The  intercession  of  Christ  is  thus  the  great 
encouragement  of  His  chosen  ones  to  be  often 


Dan.  6:io. 


146  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

at  the  throne  of  p:race.     If  under  the 

The  peculiar 

power  of         dim  light  of  the  old  disx:)ensation  the 

c  -,     prayer  since      .    . ,  i   «    ^   n  i  i  i  ^   •  i 

Sam. 12:23.  thgtj^goi      faithful  bamuel  could  regard  it  a  sm 
Christ.  ^^  cease  praying,  even  when  condi- 

tions were  discouraging;  surely  the  Christian 
believer  to  day  is  to  be  greatly  blamed  if  he 
neglects  prayer.  If  Daniel,  under  adverse  cir- 
cumstances, prayed  and  gave  thanks  three  times, 
daily,  should  not  Christ's  followers  now  be  found 
as  often  on  their  knees  before  God?  If  the  in- 
tercession of  Abraham  for  Sodom  could  avail  on 

Gen.  18: 

23-.33-  i^i^e  ground  of  the  presence  of  a  few  righteous 
men  in  the  city,  what  reliance  should  we  place 
on  the  intercession  of  God's  own  Son,  based  on 
His  atoning  work.  Our  j^rayers  stand  in  the 
strength  of  all  that  our  Lord  has  done  and  is 
doing  on  our  behalf.  Behind  them,  in  them,  is 
His  Cross,  His  pleading  voice.  Of  themselves 
they  are  feeble,  but  through  Him  they  are 
mighty.      Therefore  we   should   be   instant  in 

Rom.  12:12. 

Lk.  18:1.       prayer. 

Acts  2:42. 
Colos.  4:2. 
I  Thess.  5: 
17. 


Chaptee  XII. 
THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT. 


As  Christ,  the  second  person  of  the  Godhead,  came  to 
earth  to  make  atonement  for  sin  and  to  give  eternal  life, 
and  as  sinners  we  must  receive  him  by  faith  in  order  to 
forgiveness  and  sonship,  so  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  third  per- 
son of  the  Godhead,  came  to  earth  to  communicate  the 
'power  from  on  high';  and  we  must  as  belie\ers  in  like 
manner  receive  him  by  faith  in  order  to  be  qualified 
for  service.  — A.  J.  Gordon. 

I  pray  to  God  this  day  to  make  me  an  extraordinary 
Christian.  —Whiteficld. 

Now,  if  we  would  be  endued  with  power  we  must  come 
into  right  relation  with  the  Spirit.  We  came  into  right  re- 
lation with  God  for  salvation  by  faith  in  Christ.  We 
must  come  into  right  relation  with  God  for  power  by 
faith  in  the  Spirit.  There  are  many  Christians  saved 
through  Christ  who  are  not  endued  with  the  power  of  the 
Spirit.  — A.  C.  Dixon. 

I  just  lay  down  before  God  and  asked  him  to  empty 
me  and  fill  me  with  his  Spirit.  ^Finney. 

This  is  the  secret  of  every  failure;  we  do  not  believe  in 
the  Holy  Ghost.  — Bishop  Westcott. 

I  can't  explain  how  God  gives  me  such  acceptance  with 
men  and  women,  except  that  I  have  given  him  myself  un- 
conditionally, and  that  he  in  return  has  given  me  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  — B.  Fay  Mills. 

When  once  the  distinct  recognition  of  what  the  indwell- 
ing of  the  Spirit  is  meant  to  bring  is  brought  home   to 

U7 


148  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

the  soul,  and  it  is  ready  to  give  up  all  to  be  partaker  of  it, 
the  believer  may  ask  and  expect  what  may  be  termed  a 
baptism  of  the  Spirit.  — Rev.  Andrew  Murray. 

Once  'twas  busy  planning, 

Now  'tis  trustful  prayer  ; 
Once  'twas  anxious  caring, 

Now  he  has  thfe  care; 
Once  'twas  what  I  wanted, 

Now  what  Jesus  says  ; 
Once  'twas  constant  asking, 

Now  'tis  ceaseless  praise; 
Once  it  was  my  working. 

His  it  hence  shall  be; 
Once  I  tried  to  use  him, 

Now  he  uses  me; 
Once  the  power  I  wanted, 

Now  the  Mighty  One  ; 
Once  for  self  I  labored, 

Now  for  him  alone. 

— A.  B.  Simpson. 

There  are  two  marked  spiritual  experiences 
which  come  to  God's  chosen  ones  through  the 
Holy  SjDirit.  The  first  is  conversion, 
work  of  the  ^^^^^  woiidrous  change  of  heart  and 
Spirit.  jjf(3   wdiich  our  Savior  calls  the  new 

birth.  Every  child  of  God  knows  what  it  is. 
It  stands  by  itself  in  liis  memory  as  the  begin- 
ning of  all  his  joys.  It  is  that  special  vrork  of 
the  Spirit  whereby  the  soul  is  brought  into 
living  union  with  Jesus  Christ. 

The  second  experience  is  the  baptism  of  the 
Spirit.  It  is  the  coming  of  a  new  power  into 
the  soul,  a  jDower  which  raises  the  believer  to 


The  baptism  of  the  spirit  149 

high  levels  of  Christian  living,  and  makes  him 
efficient  as  a  workman  of  God.  It  gives  him 
victory  over  sin,  and  enables  him  to  labor  fruit- 
fully in  God's  vineyard.  Those  who  receive  this 
baptism  are  characterized  by  deej)  piety,  strong 
faith,  abounding  zeal,  and  useful  lives. 

Let  us  get  these  two  gifts  of  God  distinctly 
in  mind.  The  Bible  repeatedly  distinguishes 
betvreen  them,  and  furnishes  illustrations  of 
both.  The  one  gift  is  the  Holy  Spirit  for 
renewal;  the  other  is  the  Holy  Spirit  for  sancti- 
fication  and  ministry. 

Our  Savior  did  not  need  the  first,  but  he 
received  the  second.  He  was  never  converted 
but  he  received  power  at  his  baptism  ^^'  ^'^^' 

when  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  ujDon  in  chrLt's 
him.     After  this  everything  was  done  *'''^* 
in  the  power  of   the  Spirit.     "I  cast  out  devils   Mat.  12:28. 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,"  He  said.     Through   the 
Holy  Ghost  He  "gave  commandments  unto  the   Acts  12 
apostles."     His   great   work  of    atonement  was 
accomplished   by    the   same    power    when  He 
"  through   the    Eternal   Spirit   offered   himself  Heb.  9:14. 
without  spot  to  God."     Thus  the  prophecy  of 
Isaiah   was   fulfilled,  "The  spirit  of   the   Lord 
shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and 


Mat.3:i6,i7, 


Isa.  11:2. 


150  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

understanding,  the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might, 
the  sijirit  of  knowledge  and  of  the  fear  of  the 
Lord." 

To  the  early  disciples  this  gift  of  the  Spirit 

came  subsequently  to  their  conversion.     On  the 

day  of    Pentecost  by  the  descent  of 

InThJ"*^'*      the    Spirit   the   followers   of    Jesus, 

lives  of  the     hitherto  a  band  of  timid,  inconstant, 

first 

disciples.  self  ^distrustful  men  and  women,  were 
transformed  into  bold  and  persuasive 
witnesses  to  the  truth.  That  they  regarded  this 
•  gift  as  of  great  importance,  and  as  one  for  all 

believers,  appeared  soon  after  when  they  sent 
Peter  and  John  to  the  converts  in  Samaria,  to 
pray  for  them  that  they  might  receive  the  Holy 

Acts  814-17  Grli<^st,  "  for  as  yet  he  w^as  fallen  upon  none  of 
of  them;  only  they  were  baptized  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Then  laid  they  their  hands 
on  them,  and  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost." 
Evidently  one  may  be  within  the  fold  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  yet  a  stranger  to  this  ministry  of 
the  Spirit.  The  fact  is  again  made  clear  in  that 
striking  incident  which  took  place  at  Ephesus. 
There  Paul  found  certain  disciples  whom  he 
asked,  "  Have  ye  received  the  Holy  Ghost  since 

Acts  19:1-7.  ye  believed?"     And  they  said  unto  him,  "We 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  151 

have  not  so  much  as  heard  whether  there  be 
any  Holy  Ghost  ?  "  Then  the  apostle  instructed 
them  and  laid  his  hands  upon  them  and  they 
received  the  great  gift. 

The  believer's  experience  of   God's  grace  in 
regeneration  should  enable  him  to  understand, 
and  should  prepare  him  to  appropri-    Rgsem. 
ate  the  parallel  blessing  of  the  bap-   ^'^"^^ 
tism  of   the  Spirit.     For   these   two   regeneration 

by  the 

experiences    are   strikingly   alike   in   spirit  and 

.  1-11      the  baptism 

many   respects,  so  much  so,  indeed,  of  the 
that  the  baptism  of   the  Spirit  has  ^p'*"^*" 
sometimes  been  called  "  the  second  conversion." 
a.     There  is  an  occasion  when  they  come  for 
the  first  time  to  the  believing  soul.     The  child 
of   God  recalls  that  ei30ch  in  his  life 
when  Christ  was  formed  within  him,   place  at  a 
the  happy  day  that  fixed  his  choice  ^^5"^;'*^ 
on  his  Redeemer.     So  too — if  he  has 
received  it — can  he  remember  the  gift  of   the 
Spirit  as  a  distinct  event  in  his  religious  life. 
Miss  Frances  E.  Willard  for  some  six  or  seven 
years  after   her   conversion   lived   the  common 
Christian  life  of  alternate  triumph  and  defeat, 
a  constant  struggle  with  sin.     Then  she  longed 
for  freedom  and  power  and  gave  herself  anew 


152  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

to  God.  The  result  she  thus  describes:  "A 
great  peace  came  to  my  souL  I  cannot  describe 
the  deej)  welling  up  of  joy  that  gradually 
possessed  me.  I  was  utterly  free  from  care.  I 
was  blithe  as  a  bird  that  is  good  for  nothing  but 
to  sing.  I  did  not  ask,  Is  it  duty?  but  instinc- 
tively knew  what  to  do.  The  conscious,  emo- 
tional presence  of  Christ  through  the  Holy 
Spirit  held  me.  I  ran  about  ui3on  His  errands 
just  from  love.     Life  was  a  halcyon  day." 

h.  There  is  the  same  sense  of  need  and  of 
The  same  lieli^lessness  in  both  these  soul  crises. 
ZssTX.  in  The  Holy  Spirit  convinces  of  sin.  The 
both.  sense  of  unforgiven  sin  prompts  the 

penitent  to  seek  deliverance  through  Christ. 
The  Christian,  knowing  that  his  iniquity  is  par- 
doned, has  yet  a  still  deeper  sense  of  personal 
demerit.  B.  Fay  Mills  testifies,  "I  have  had 
more  contrition  for  sin  in  one  moment  since  I 
began  to  live  a  godly  life  than  in  all  my  un- 
godly life. "  This  feeling  is  stronger  in  the 
saint  than  in  the  sinner  because  if  we  struggle 
against  a  stream  we  are  more  conscious  of  its 
power  than  if  we  float  with  the  current.  If  the 
believer  is  not  content  to  live  on  this  low  plane, 
he  seeks  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit.     He  already 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  153 

has  "  redemption  through  his  blood,  the  forgiv- 
eness  of   sins,   according   to   the  riches  of  his  ^  ^ 

'  '^  Eph.  1:7. 

grace.  "     He   now  receives   a  new  gift,  and  is     3-i6. 
"  strengthened  vrith  might  by  his  Spirit  in  the 
inner  man.  " 

c.  There  is  the  same  act  of  appropriating 
faith  in  both  instances.  The  sinner  believes  on 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  is  saved.  Similarly 
bv  a  definite  act  of  faith  the  believer 

•^  Both  are  ap- 

receives   the  Spirit  for  consecration  propriated 

and  power.     The  gift  must   be  taken. 

As  Paul  says,  we  "receive   the  promise  of  the  cai. -v2. 14. 

Si)irit  through  faith.     It  would  be  vain  for  the 

sinner   siniijly  to  pray  for  salvation.     Let  him 

take   the   water   of  life  freely.     So  it  would  be 

vain   for  the  believer  to  ask  for  the  baptism  of 

the  Spirit  without  laying  hold  of  that  blessing. 

Here  applies  with  special  pertinence  the  word 

of  Christ,  "What  things  soever  ye  desire,  when 

ye   pray,   believe   that  ye  receive  them,  and  ye  ^'k.  11:24. 

shall  have  them.  "     Yet  as  the  choice  of  Christ 

by  the  sinner  is  sometimes   involved  in  a  minor 

choice — like  the  giving  up  of   an  evil  habit,   or 

the  taking  up  of  a  cross — so  the  ajDpropriation  of 

the  Spirit  by  the  believer  may  take  place  in  some 

spiritual  crisis   wherein  the  soul  draws  close  to 


154  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

God  without  foreseeing  at  the  time  all  the  bless- 
ing that  is  to  follow. 

d.     These  experiences  are  alike  in  this— that 

they  may   seem  to  the  recipient   to   take   place 

either   instantaneously   or  cfraclually. 

They  come  .  .     . 

in  different  Some  Christians  can  describe  a  vivid 
ferent  per=  and  thrilling  revolution  of  life,  like 
sons.  ^j^^^   ^£   Saul  on  the  Damascus  road; 

when  Christ  suddenly  and  gloriously  filled  the 
soul.  Others  declare  that  the  coming  of  the 
kingdom  to  them  was  like  the  imxjerceptible 
stealing  of  the  morning  sunlight  over  an  awak- 
ening world.  "Wesley  tells  us  that  his  conver- 
sion occurred  "  at  a  quarter  before  nine  o'clock 
on  the  evening  of  Wednesday,  May  21,  1738." 
Other  disciples  have  testified  that  they  could 
not  remember  the  day  nor  the  month  when  they 
accepted  God's  salvation.  Enough  if  they  bear 
the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  So  we  are  to  de- 
termine whether  we  have  received  the  Spirit  by 
appropriate  tests.  The  imxDortant  question  is 
not  as  to  the  process  but  as  to  the  result.  Is  the 
blessing  ours  ?  That  question,  like  the  ques- 
tion whether  we  have  accepted  Christ,  is  to  be 
answered  by  reference  to  our  present  spiritual 
condition.     It  is  not  of  great  moment  when  we 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  155 

entered  the  narrow  way  if  so  be  ,\^e  are  init,  and 
it  is  not  of  first  importance  ho#  we  gan^d  the 
treasure  so  longjis  we  possess  it.  There  is 
doubtless  a  definite  time  when  the  believer  re- 
ceives the  Spirit,  as  there  is  a  moment  known  to 
God  when  the  soul  is  transformed  into  Christ's 
likeness.  Usually  both  gifts  come  through  con- 
scious seeking  and  at  specific  dates.  In  some 
few  cases  the  two  experiences  are  almost  simul- 
taneous, the  bax^tism  of  the  Spirit  following 
hard  on  the  new  birth.  Usually,  for  want  of  en- 
lightenment and  faith  at  the  time  of  conversion, 
the  second  blessing  is  delayed.  Paul  received  it  Actsg:i7. 
three  days^after  his  conversion.  Eminent  saints 
like  Edward  Payson;  James  Brainerd  Taylor, 
Charles  G.  Finney,  Dwiglit  L.  Moody,  testify 
that  they  had  followed  Jesus  for  years  before  re- 
ceiving the  gift  of  the  Si^irit.  But  the  one 
promise  is  made  to  all,  of  this  twofold  blessing, 
"  ReiDent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission  of  ^^^^  ^'^' 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost." 

e.     Both  experiences  make  themselves  known 
to  the  recipient.     The  child  of  God  knows  that 


156  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Bothbiess=  h^  lias  been  born  again.  The  be- 
ings ve>ify     leliever  who  has  received  the  Spirit 

themselves  ^ 

in  the  heart    jg  aware  of  that  fact.      There  is  no 

of  the  be= 

liever.  need  of   uncertainty   in   either   case. 

If,  when  the  blessing  comes,  we  do  not  fully 
recognize  it  and  understand  its  meaning,  yet  as 
experience  strengthens  and  the  sjjiritual  under- 
standing is  clarified  we  come  into  a  clear  con- 
sciousness of  our  possessions.  The  contrast  be- 
tween our  present  and  our  former  estate  is  too 
marked  to  escape  our  notice.  In  reading  the 
Scriptures  we  find  the  explanation  of  our  deepest 
experiences.  The  baptism  there  described  and 
promised  we  recognize  as  ours.  We  have  the 
witness  in  ourselves  that  God  has  saved  us  to 
the  uttermost. 

/.     Each  of  these  experiences  has  its  distinct 

place  and  j)urpose.     This  is  clearly  set  forth  in 

the    Word   of   God.      Conversion    is 

Both  bles5° 

ings  are  be-  unto  salvatiou ;  the  baptism  of  the 
a  view  to  Spirit  is  unto  sanctification.  The 
certain  ends.  ^^^^    -^   gj^Q^^g^^   ^q  redeem   the   soul 

from  death,  the  other  is  sufficient  to  secure  pres- 
ent victory  over  sin  and  to  equip  for  service. 
The  former  gives  peace,  the  latter  gives  power. 
The  first  is  for  renewal,  the  second  for  ministry. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  157 

Without  conversion  the  sinner  cannot  enter 
heaven,  without  the  enduement  of  the  Spirit  the 
believer  cannot  go  on  unto  perfection  in  Chris- 
tian experience  and  service. 

g.  These  gifts  are  alike  in  this,  that  they  are 
freely  offered  of  God  to  all  who  will  accept  them. 
"Ho!   every   one   that   thirsteth."  is 

^  Both  gifts 

addressed  alike  to  the  impenitent  and  within  the 
to  the  Christian.  In  both  instances 
the  way  to  life  is  narrow  and  few  there  be  that 
find  it.  We  mark  striking  differences  in  the 
spiritual  attainments  of  God's  chosen  ones. 
Some  are  saved  "  yet  so  as  by  fire,"  while  others 
are  "filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God."  Between 
these  extremes  there  are  many  grades  of  vigor 
and  consecration.  There  are  disciples  who  seem 
very  like  people  of  the  world.  There  are  Chris- 
tians who  are  still  living  under  law,  faithful  in 
commandment  keeping  and  in  good  works  but 
strangers  to  the  deeper  life  in  Christ.  A  few 
have  tarried  in  prayer  and  they  testify  that  there 
is  a  crisis  in  the  Christian  life  similar  to  the 
crisis  of  regeneration  in  the  worldly  life.  The 
Christian  is  converted  to  the  Spirit  as  the  un- 
believer is  converted  to  Christ.  This  blessing 
is   notlimited  to  the  few  except  as  it  is  rejected 


158  CmOSEN  OF  GOD 

by  the  many.  All  Christians  need  it  and  all 
may  have  it. 

The  Scriptures  represent  this  gift  of  the  Spirit 
under  three  forms: 

I.  Sealing. 

II.  Infilling. 

III.  Anointing. 

John  6:27.  I.  Of  Christ  we  read,  "  Him  hath  God  the 
The  seaUng  Father  Sealed."  The  i^riest  in  the 
of  the  Spirit,  temple  Selected  an  unblemished  lamb 
and  stamped  it  with  the  temple  seal  to  certify 
that  it  was  fit  for  sacrifice.  So  the  Father  sealed 
the  Son  when  the  heavens  opened  and  the  voice 

Mat.  3:17; 

17:5-  declared,   "  This  is  my  beloved  Son."     It  was 

God's  attestation  of  the  deity  and  the  authority 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

Similarly  the  believer  is  sealed  by  the  Spirit. 
Eph.  la.^  "  In  whom  also  after  that  ye  believed,  ye  were 
sealed  w^ith  that  holy  Spirit  of  promise."  In 
this  verse  we  find  mentioned  the  two  exi^eriences 
of  belief  unto  salvation,  and  the  sealing  of  the 
Sx^irit  unto  sanctification. 

In  His  office  of  Sealing,  the  Spirit  stamps 
His  likeness  upon  us  and  thus  attests  our  ac- 
ceptance with  God,  sets  us  apart  to  holy  uses, 
and  assures  us  of  final  salvation. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  159 

Sealing  makes  us  sure  that  God  accepts  us. 
A  seal  on  a  document  authenticates  sealing  at- 
it   as  genuine.     So   the   seal   of   the  *^«f  «"'-»*^- 

^  ceptance 

Spirit  marks  the  believer  as  the  true  ^'*''  ^<^^- 
child  of  God.  This  was  the  first  token  granted 
to  Wesley  that  he  had  received  the  gift  of  the 
Spirit.  On  the  return  voyage  from  Georgia  to 
England  he  became  deeply  conscious  of  God's 
presence  and  favor.  Christians  should  seek 
"  perfect  assurance,"  and  should  accept  even  the 
beginnings  of  it  as  evidence  of  the  gift  of  the 
Spirit. 

Sealing  marks  us  as  the  peculiar  people  and 
property    of    God.      Paul   writes   to 

^      "■         ''      -  Sealing  sets 

Timothy,  "  Nevertheless  the  f  ounda-  us  apart  to  2  Tim.  2:19. 
tion  of  God  standeth  sure,  having 
this  seal,  The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  his. 
And,  Let  every  one  that  nameth  the  name  of 
Christ  depart  from  iniquity."  Here  God  is  rep- 
resented as  recognizing  His  own  by  the  twofold 
seal  of  Ownership  and  Obedience. 

The  Christian  is  not  to  live  all  his  days  in  the 
seventh  of  Romans.  By  the  sealing  of  the 
Spirit  he  is  to  pass  into  the  fifteenth  and  six- 
teenth of  John.  He  is  to  be  lifted  above  the 
plane  of  constant  temptation  to  the  high  level  of 


160  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Rom.  6:14.  God's  promise,  "  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion 
over  you."  Few  believers  are  made  holy  at  con- 
version. Many  never  get  beyond  the  stage  of 
personal  effort,  a  disheartening  struggle  with 
sin.  Some  few  are  sanctified,  set  apart  from  the 
world,  and  made  holy.  This  is  brought  about 
by  the  Spirit,  not  by  human  endeavor.  It  is 
a  low  and  unscriptural  view  of  the  life  in  Christ 
which  teaches  that  that  life  must  of  necessity 
be  mingled  with  elements  from  the  old  life  of 
sin,  Paul  has  no  such  conception  of  God's 
work  in  the  soul.  "  The  very  God  of  peace 
sanctify  you  wholly,  and  I  pray  God  your 
whole  sioirit  and  soul  and  body  be  preserved 
blameless  unto  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  Sanctify  you  wholly!  Every  thought 
may  be  brought  into  captivity  to  the  obedience 
of  Christ.  Every  motive,  aim,  choice,  affection 
may  be  taken  into  the  keeping  of  God. 

The  seal  of  the  Spirit  guarantees  the  final 
salvation  of  God's  chosen  ones.  In  the  day  of 
Sealing  redemption  they  are  to  be  recognized 

marks  j^y   ^]^q  impress  of   the   Spirit   upon 

for  final         tlicm.     Paul  says  to  the  Ei)hesians, 

redemption.  at. 

g  ,  "  And  grieve  not  the  holy  Spirit  of 

God,  whereby   ye   are   sealed  unto  the  day   of 


I  Thes.  5 
23. 


2  Cor.  io:S. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  161 

redemption"  Says  Bickerstetli,  "The  allusion 
to  the  seal  as  a  pledge  of  i3urchase  would  be 
l^eculiarly  intelligible  to  the  Ephesians,  for 
Ei)hesus  was  a  maritime  city  and  an  extensive 
trade  in  timber  was  carried  on  there  by  the 
shipmasters  of  neighboring  ports.  The  method 
of  purchase  was  this.  The  merchant  after 
selecting  his  timber,  stamped  it  with  his  own 
signet,  which  was  an  acknowledged  sign  of 
ownership.  He  often  did  not  carry  off  his 
possession  at  the  time;  it  was  left  in  the  harbor 
with  other  floats  of  timber,  but  it  was- chosen, 
bought  and  stamped;  and  in  due  time  the 
merchant  sent  a  trusty  agent  with  the  signet, 
who,  finding  that  timber  which  took  a  corre- 
sponding impress,  claimed  and  brought  it  away 
for  his  master's  use.  Thus  the  Holy  Spirit 
impresses  on  the  soul  now  the  image  of  Jesus 
Christ;  and  this  is  the  sure  pledge  of  the 
everlasting  inheritance." 

The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His  and  sets 
His  mark  upon  them.  Even  on  earth  they  can 
be  discovered  as  being  no  longer  conformed  to 
this  world.  "  Glory  is  in  them  begun."  There 
may  be  some  uncertainty  in  the  case  of  one  who 
has  not  sought  and  received    the   gift  of   the 


162  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Spirit,  but  of    one  who  has  been  "sealed  unto 

the  day  of  redemption "  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

II.     The  infilling  of  the  Spirit  is  the  gift  of 

Luke 4:1.  Power.  "And  Jesus  being  full  of  the  Holy 
The  infiiiinjr  Cf^ost  returned  from  Jordan."  Thus 
of  the  i^Q  y^^Q  equipped  for  his  great  work. 

How  incomj)etent,  weak  and  vacil- 
lating   were    the    apostles    before   the   day   of 

Acts 2:4.  Pentecost.  Then  "they  were  all  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost"  and  became  new  men.  Thence- 
forth they  had  power  according  to  the  Savior's 

Acts  1:8.  promise,  "Ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you."     By  this  power 

Acts 4:8.  Peter,  "filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost"  preached 
his  first  great  sermon  before  the  rulers  and 
elders  at  Jerusalem.     By  this  power  Stephen, 

Acts6;5.  "a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
became  the  first  martyr  in  the  church.  By  this 
power  all  the  servants  of  God  in  all  ages  have 
accomplished  great  things.  To  all  workers  for 
Christ  this  infilling  of  the  Spirit  is  indispen- 
sable. Not  only  to  minsters  and  missionaries, 
not  only  to  evangelists  and  Bible  teachers,  but 
to  every  Christian  who  would  undertake  the 
humblest  labor  in    the  Master's  vineyard,  God 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  163 

himself   addresses   this   exhortation,  "  Be  filled   Eph.  5:18 
with  the  Spirit." 

Mark  some  of  the  results  of  this  infilling. 
There  is  a  certain  courao-e  and  humble  boldness 
imparted.     "  We  ou.f?ht  to  obey  God  Acts  5:29. 

^  o  J  Infilling 

rather  than  men"  is  the  language  of  gives 

CO  11  f*fl?£ 

disciples  under  this  baptism.  Great 
wickedness  entrenched  in  the  passions,  customs 
and  worldly  interests  of  men,  cause  timid 
Christians  to  quail.  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians,  and  brave  is  he  who  Avithstands  lier 
worshii).  To  do  so  he  must  be  filled  with  the 
Spirit.  Then  he  is  not  afraid.  When  Christians 
are  full  of^  the  Holy  Ghost  they  dare  to  under- 
take forbidding  work.  They  fear  not  to  take 
risks  for  God  and  to  lead  forlorn  hoi)es. 

No  one  can  do  efiicient  work  for  God  who  has 
misgivings  as  to  the  truth  or  the  power  of  the 
Gospel.     When  full  of  the  Spirit  we  jn;;i,;„g 
have   undimmed   faith    in   the   suffi-  ^^^^^ 

us  confidence 

ciency  of  Christ  for  the  salvation  of  «"  the 

.  „    -n-.  Sword 

souls,  m  the  adequacy  or  Jdis  grace  of  the 
for  every  need  of  man.   When  Bishox^     *^*"  ' 
Colenso  resorted  to  schemes  of    education  and 
reformation  for  the  conversion  of  South  Africa 
he   lost   all    power    and   failed   to   benefit   the 


Ps.  73:25. 


164  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

natives.  When  Hans  Egede  told  the  story  of 
the  Cross  to  the  degraded  Greenlanders  God 
honored  His  Word  and  many  souls  were 
converted.  Ministers  and  laymen  who  neglect 
the  Gospel  and  take  uj)  with  schemes  of  social 
and  political  reforms  are  leaning  upon  a  broken 
reed.  The  infilling  of  the  Spirit  will  bring  men 
back  to  confidence  in  the  Gospel  as  God's  power 
unto  salvation.  Then  they  will  labor  expec- 
tantly, looking  for  results.  A  great  hope  will 
inspire  their  efforts,  and  their  building  will  not 
be  wood,  hay,  stubble.  The  wisdom  of  this 
world  makes  improvements  upon  the  divine  plan 
of  salvation,  but  the  wisdom  that  is  from  above 
lays  hold  on  the  unsearchable  riches  01  Christ. 
The  infilling  of  the  Spirit  kindles  love  in  the 
soul  of  the  chosen  one.  Many  Christians  are 
,  ,.„.  conscious  of  lack  of  feeling,  a  barren- 

Iniilling  ^' 

arouses  j^ggg  ^f  heart  toward  God.    But  wh(m 

the 

affections.  the  Holy  Spirit  fills  them  their  affec- 
tions are  quickened,  and  they  cry,  "  Whom  have 
I  in  heaven  but  thee?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  ihat  I  desire  beside  thee."  Temptations 
lose  their  power,  for  sin  has  no  allurements. 
The  believer  cannot  generate  this  new  love 
for    himself.     It  is   one   of    the   fruits  of  the 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  165 

Spirit.  And  not  only  love  to  God,  but  to  the 
church  and  to  mankind.  When  "full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost "  we  are  led  to  think,  not  of  what 
we  can  get  from  the  church,  but  of  what  we  can 
do  for  the  church.  It  then  appears  as  "  the 
body  of  Christ,"  and  we  sing, 

I  love  thy  kiagdom,  Lord — 

The  house  of  thine  abode; 
The  church  our  blest  Redeemer  saved 

With  his  own  precious  blood. 

Filled  with  the  Spirit  we  are  no  longer 
critical,  fastidious,  censorious.  We  do  not  judge 
our  fellow  disciples,  nor  do  we  resent  injuries. 
''Charity  thinketh  no  evil."  And  our  hearts  go 
out  to  all  our  fellow  men.  We  are  no  longer 
indifferent  to  the  salvation  of  friends  and  neigh- 
bors. The  great  world  lying  in  wickedness  and 
sin  appeals  to  our  sympathies  as  it  did  to 
Christ's,  and  our  hearts  desire  and  prayer  to 
God  for  all  men  is  that  they  might  be  saved. 
There  is  no  sign  of  the  Holy  Si)irit's  presence 
which  is  more  reliable  and  inspiring  than  this 
longing  on  the  part  of  Christians  for  the 
conversion  of  sinners  to  God. 

By  the  infilling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  earthly 
passions  are  subdued,  evil  projDensities  eradica- 
ted, holy  ambitions  created.     The  Bible  places 


I  Cor.  9:27. 
1  Pet.  1:5. 


166  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Infilling         j^q  limit  on  tliG  degree  of  sanctification 

gives    victo- 
ry over  sin.    whicli  is  joossible  to  the  believer.     If 

lie  is  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  there  is  no 
room  in  him  for  sin.  The  conquest  of  his  car- 
nal appetites  is  virtually  constant  and  complete. 
His  body  is  "  kept  under.  "  He  himself  is  "  kept 
by  tlie  power  of  God."  If  any  reader  doubts 
the  i:)ossibility  of  complete  sanctification  in  this 
life  let  him  seek  it  persistently  in  faith  and  he 
will  doubt  no  more.  Thousands  have  attained 
to  this  estate.  They  testify  to  it  as  clearly  and 
confidently  as  any  Christian  testifies  to  his  con- 
version. If  we  are  to  believe  the  one  why  not 
the  other  ?  God  promises  the  gift.  Those  who 
have  accex^ted  it  testify  with  one  voice  that  the 
work  is  all  of  God.  They  have  not  gained  this 
high  level  through  struggle  but  through  surren- 
der. They  have  simply  let  the  Sj)irit  in  to  fill 
them  with  all  the  fulness  of  God. 

III.  Anointing  differs  frem  Sealing  and  In- 
filling.    In  the  address  to  Cornelius,  Peter  said 
A  .       o      Th..  A„^:„*    that   "God  anointed  Jesus  of  Naza- 

Acts  10:38.       s  ne  Anotnt- 

ingofthe       Y^i\^  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 

Spirit.  •; 

power.  "     Our  Savior  himself  appro- 
priates the  prophecy  of  Isaiah,  "The   Spirit  of 


Lk.  4:18. 


John  16:13. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  167 

the  Lord  is  upon  me,  because  he  hath  anointed 
me  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  j)ooi'-  " 

Here  we  have  the  illuminating  office  of  the 
Spirit.  Our  Lord  promised  to  his  disciples  that 
"  the  Spirit  of  truth  "  should  guide  them  into 
all  truth.     This  Spirit  of  truth  "  the  john  14:17. 

world  cannot  receive.        Our   a^Dpre-   knowledge, 
hension  of  spiritual  truth  does  not  de- 
pend upon  our  learning  nor  yet  upon  intellect- 
ual acumen.     "The   natural   man  receiveth  not  iCor. 2:14. 
the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  "     Much  of  the 
brightest      and      strongest    intellect     of     the 
world  has  been  characterized  by  dense  spiritual 
ignorance^    Many   believers  hold   to   the  great 
doctrinal  truths  of  the  Bible  without  any  deep 
spiritual  acquaintance  with  the  same.     It  is  such 
a  belief  that  has  given  ground  for  the  reproach 
against    "a  dead  orthodoxy"  and   "slavery   to 
creeds. " 

When  the  Christian  receives  the  anointing  of 
the   Spirit  he  gains  a  spiritual  discernment  of 
truth.     It  "  makes  him  of  quick  understanding.  "   i^a.  11.3. 
His  mental  faculties  are  invigorated 
and  illuminated      "  Ye  have  an  unc-  mind.  *  ^°''"  ^"^°' 

tion  [R.  V.  anointing]  from  the  Holy 
One,  and  ye  know  all  things  *  *  "     Under  this 


I  Cor.  2:12. 


168  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

anointing  the  mind  relishes  the  revelations  of 
the  Word  of  God.  " Now  we  have  received,  not 
the  spirit  of  the  world,  but  the  spirit  which  is  of 
God  ;  that  vre  might  know  the  things  that  are 
freely  given  to  us  of  God. "  The  reception  of 
divine  truth  depends  upon  the  spiritual  condi- 
tion of  the  understanding.  V/hen  once  we  are 
anointed  with  the  Spirit  there  is  a  verisimili- 
tude and  sweet  reasonableness  in  the  message  of 
God.  We  are  not  reasoned  into  acceptance  of 
doctrine  but  doctrine  fits  into  our  soul  as  a  key 
into  its  lock.  Doubts  are  dissolved  and  truth 
appears  divinely  beautiful.  The  Lord  "gives 
us  understanding  in  all  things. ''  Then  we  eas- 
ily lay   hold  of  God's  promises  for  "  God  hath 

2  Cor  I  -.20,  T-.      1      1 

21-  anointed  us.  "  Then  the  Bible  becomes  precious 

and  is  full  of  meaning.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  our 
teacher  and  we  yield  our  minds  to  his  instruct- 
ion. "  Knowledge  puffeth  up.  "  Worldly  phi- 
losophy and  learning  foster  pride  of  intellect, 
and  an  age  of  great  mental  achievement  wanders 
from  the  revealed  truths  of  the  Scriptures  into 
all  manner  of  unbelief.  Speculation  is  rife 
when  the  mind  is  not  submissive  to  the  Spirit. 
How  much  we  need  to-day  to  bring  back  to  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  a  church  which  is  waver- 


2  Tim.  2:7. 


I  Cor.  .S:i. 


io:ig, 
20, 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  169 

ing  in  its  allegiance  to  some  of  the  most  clearly 
revealed  and  distinctive  truths  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

Our  Savior  was  "  anointed  to  preach. "  Anoint- 
ing gives  utterance.  A  tongue  of  fire 
sat  ui:>on  the  disciples  on  the  day  of  be  witnesses. 
Pentecost.  The  Savior's  promise  was, 
''  It  shall  be  given  you  in  that  same  hour  what  ^'^l^ 
ye  shall  speak.  For  it  is  not  ye  that  s^Deak,  but 
the  Spirit  of  your  Father  which  speaketh  in 
you.  "  The  believer  thus  anointed  can  bear 
testimony  for  Christ,  thus  fulfilling  his  word, 
"  Ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me.  "  He  may  not  Acts  1:8. 
be  delivered  from  all  fear,  whether  in  public  or 
in  private  speaking,  nor  find  great  fluency  of 
speech,  though  these  gifts  may  be  graciously 
vouchsafed.  But  he  will  be  moved  and  sustained 
by  the  Spirit.  His  tongue  will  be  touched  with 
a  coal  from  off  the  altar.  He  will  be  made  vrise 
in  winning  souls.  The  apostles  "  spake  as  the  -^^^^  ^•^• 
Spirit  gave  them  utterance, "  and  Paul,  not 
trusting  to  human  elocjuence,  requested  the 
Ephesians  to  pray  for  him  that  utterance  might  Eph.  frig. 
be  given  him.  So  Mr.  Spurgeon  was  wont  to 
pause  in  his  sermon,  and  say,  "  Brethren,  pray 
for  me,  I  must  have    more  of  the  power  of  the 


170  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Holy  Spirit.  "  This  anointing  is  indispensable 
I  Cor.  2:4.  to  every  minister  who  would  "  preach  in  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  of  power, "  to  every 
Sunday  School  teacher  if  his  message  is  to  come 
„.  .  to  his  i)upils  "  not  in  v/ord  only  but  also  in  power 
and  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  "  and  to  every  witness 
bearer  who  would  edify  the  church  and  impress 
the  world. 

Utterance  in  prayer  comes  in  this  same  way 

through  the  anointing   of  the  Spirit. 

Rom.  8:15.     Prevauing      g    ^^^^      -^..^  -  Ah-ba,  Father." 

Gal.  4:6.  prayer.  j  x  J  ' 

Through  Christ  we  both  have  access 
by  one  Sj)irit  unto  the  Father.  Sometimes  we 
are  tongue-tied  in  prayer.  At  other  times  there 
seems  to  be  no  reality  in  our  devotions.  Per- 
haps tliere  are  days  when  we  feel  no  desire  to 
approach  the  throne  of  grace.  We  need  the 
anointing  of  the  Sijirit.  Such  anointing  may 
not  give  us  great  flow  of  language.  It  is  indeed 
possible  for  one  to  seem  "gifted  in  i:)rayer, "  and 
yet  to  lack  power  with  God.  What  we  are  to 
seek  is  such  an  anointing  that  we  may  have 
coiimi union  with  God  in  jjrayer  and  i^ower  to 
Rom. 8:26.  prevail.  "The  Spirit  helpeth  our  infirmitit\s." 
Then  we  talk  with  God  as  friend  with  friend. 
The  iniblican  ijrayed  in  the  Spirit  though  his 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  SPIRIT  171 

petition  was  a  short  one.  How  many  formal 
prayers  we  shall  have  to  answer  for  under  the 
charge  of  "idle  words."  May  God  anoint  His 
people  with  the  Spirit  that  they  may  have 
power  in  prayer. 

How  earnestly  should  every  Christian  seek 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit.  If  any 
young  disciple  reads  these  words  let  be  earnestly 
him  resolve  not  to  live  on  a  low  plane  *'*"s*^*- 
of  Christian  experience.  Mr.  S^Durgeon  in  one 
of  his  sermons  has  a  striking  picture  of  a  young 
convert  lingering  in  the  "cell  of  Penitence," 
while  a  bright  angel  is  beckoning  him  on  into 
the  perfect  freedom  of  a  full  salvation.  It  is 
not  necessary  to  wait  a  long  time  for  this 
baptism.  It  must  be  sought  earnestly  and 
with  importunate  prayer.  It  must  be  desired 
above  all  other  things  and  with  appropriating 
faith.  The  seeker  must  give  up  every  known 
sin  and  yield  himself  wholly  to  God.  He 
must  seek  the  gift  not  for  personal  and  selfish 
ends  but  for  God's  glory.  His  ambition  must  be 
not  to  use  the  Spirit  but  to  be  used  by  the 
Spirit.  Let  the  Christian  seek  this  gift  in  this 
way  and  he  shall  surely  receive  it.  He  may 
have  to  wait  on  the  Lord  for  it,  but  God  is  will- 


172  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

ing  and  ready  to  give  it  to  all  who  seek.  This 
is  the  one  great  need  of  the  church  to-day. 
Come,  Holy  Spirit,  come. 


PART  111. 

SPIRITUAL  RESULTS 


Chapter  XIII. 
GRATITUDE. 


Thou  that  hast  given  so  much  to  me, 

Give  one  thing  more,  a  grateful  heart. 
See  how  Thy  beggar  works  on  thee 
By  art. 

Not  thankful  when  it  pleaseth  me; 

As  if  Thy  blessings  had  spare  days; 
But  such  a  heart,  whose  pulse  may  be 

Thy  praise.  — George  Herbert. 

The  grateful  spirit  alone  believes  because  it  alone 
acknowledges  the  source  of  its  life.  The  grateful  alone 
finds  out  God.  It  alone  discovers  its  glorious  Maker  in 
its  own  faculties,  its  own  perceptions,  its  own  capacities 
of  happiness;  and  with  the  grateful  one  out  of  the  ten  it 
falls  down  before  Him  giving  thanks.       — Canon  Mozely. 

Gratitude  is  love  responding  to  love.  — Millar. 

Looking  in  through  the  broken,  patched  window  of  an 
humble  cabin  one  day,  a  minister  saw  a  poor,  gray- 
haired,  bent  son  of  toil,  at  a  rude  table,  with  hands  raised 
to  God,  and  his  eyes  fixed  on  some  crusts  of  bread  with  a 
cup  of  water,  in  all  humility  and  contentment  exclaiming, 
"This,  and  Jesus  Christ  too  !  This,  and  Jesus  Christ  too!" 

— Guthrie. 

Thankfulness   arises   from  the  consciousness 
of  being  chosen  in  Christ.    Its  foundation  is  the 
divine   assurance,    "Fear   not:  for  I  The  sense  of  isa.  43:1 
have  redeemed  thee,  I  have  called  thee  «^«p*'«" 

'  awakens 

by  thy  name;  thou  art  mine."     Not  gratitude. 

175 


Hab.  3:18. 


176  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

earthly  blessings  but  spiritual  gifts  are  the 
cause  of  gratitude.  The  prophet  says,  "  I  will 
joy  in  the  God  of  my  salvation."  And  this, 
"  although  the  fig  tree  shall  not  blossom."  All 
material  comforts  seem  small  beside  this.  All 
temporal  troubles  and  losses  seem  unimpor- 
tant if  one  is  assured  that  he  is  a  member 
of  God's  elect  family.  It  is  the  Christian  who 
is  rich.  He  is  an  heir  of  heaven.  Angels  are 
his  ministers.  In  his  personal  redemption  he 
traces  the  designs  of  an  eternal  wisdom  and 
grace.  Nothing  can  take  from  him  his  crown 
of  rejoicing.  ,  It  matters  not  whether  in  earthly 
treasure  he  is  rich  or  poor.  It  is  of  no  great 
moment  whether  his  temporal  plans  succeed  or 
fail.  The  time  is  short.  He  is  a  pilgrim.  Let 
his  joy  be  in  the  God  of  his  salvation.  Let  ev- 
ery step  be  an  anthem,  every  breath  a  song. 

Our  adoption  in  Christ  brings  into  mind  four 
great  facts  which  awaken  gratitude. 

1.  The  gift  came  to  us  unmerited.  We  did 
not  deserve  a  place  in  God's  family.  The  'nonor 
Adoption  a  camc  to  US  from  the  unsolicited  love 
gift  to  the      ^  (3<    I      ^y    ^|.^  nothing  to  earn  the 

undeserv-  ^ 

*"»•  pardon.     We  brought  no  price  in  our 

hands.     Our  case  was  that  of  the  debtors  in  the 


GRATITUDE  177 

parable,  of  whom  it  is  said,  "  And  when  they 
had  nothing  to  pay,  he  frankly  forj^ave  them  ^^ 
both."  We  see  it  now  though  we  did  not  see  it 
at  first.  The  hideous  tyranny  of  sin  is  not  felt 
by  the  unconverted.  "A  serpent  is  never  seen  isa.  51:1. 
at  its  full  length  till  it  is  dead."  Now  that  we 
can  look  back  to  the  hole  of  the  pit  whence  we 
were  digged  we  gratefully  adore  the  grace  that 
saved  us  while  we  were  yet  sinners. 

2.  A  second  incentive  to  gratitude  is  the 
thought  of  the  ccst  of  oar  adoption.  If  vre  have 
ever  fancied  God^s  love  an  easy-go-  Tj,e  ransom 
ing  indulgence,  a  love  that  says, ''  Let  p^'^- 
the  sin  go — let  all  sinners  be  saved,"  our  tarry- 
ing at  Calvary  has  corrected  this  notion.  Christ 
died  that  we  might  be  chosen  in  Him.  The 
world  wonders  why  God  permits  sin  in  view  of 
the  misery  which  it  brings  on  mankind.  But 
God  has  suffered  far  more  than  His  children  by 
the  permission  of  sin.  Sin,  our  sin,  has  cost 
Him  the  eternal  Cross.  This  He  has  borne 
that  we  might  be  made  kings  and  priests  unto 
Him.  His  choosing  us  was  not  a  light  thing 
to  do.  Before  it  could  be  done  the  precious 
blood  must  be  shed.      Therefore  at  the  foot  of 


178  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

the  Cross   gratitude   is   a  deep  passion  of  the 
Christian  heart. 

3.  Gratitude   is   strengthened  again  by  the 

spiritual  comforts  which  adoption  has  brought 

in  its  train.      Earthly  parents  some- 
Benefits  "^   ^ 

which  follow  times  bring  children  into  the  family 
and  leave  them  to  grow  wi)  as  they 
may.  God  chooses  us  and  then  nourishes  and 
trains  us.  He  has  been  with  us  all  along  the 
Ps.  2i:s.  way.  Our  glory  is  great  in  His  salvation.  He 
has  more  than  fulfilled  His  promises  in  our  ex- 
perience. Not  only  for  the  original  gift  of  son- 
ship  but  for  all  that  sonship  has  brought  are  we 
grateful, — for  peace  of  conscience  and  the  hope 
of  heaven,  for  joy  in  service  and  for  communion 
in  prayer,  for  growing  knowledge  of  truth  and 
for  sweet  comfort  in  trouble,  for  fellowship 
with  Christ  and  for  growth  in  grace.  We  praise 
Him  in  whom  are  all  our  springs.  Adoption 
means  much.  It  means  all  that  has  followed 
upon  that  first  choice  of  God. 

4.  It  means  also  all  that  will  follow,  and 
herein  is  a  fourth  spur  to  thankfulness.  There 
The  Joy  is  a  kind  of  anticipatory  gratitude  in 
of  hope.  view  of  what  God  is  about  to  bestow. 
Our  adoption  is  the  guarantee  of  rich  things  to 


GRATITUDE  179 

come.  Past  mercies  are  a  pledge  of  future 
good.  "  The  Lord  liatli  been  mindful  of  us:  he  Ps.  115:12. 
will  bless  us."  The  consequences  of  adoption 
reach  out  into  the  infinite  future  and  gratitude 
takes  wings  and  follows  after.  We  are  daily 
thankful  for  daily  mercies  yet  to  come.  Grati- 
tude pays  its  debt  in  advance  assured  that  "  He 
that  spared  not  his  own  Son  will  with  him  also  Rom.  8:32. 
freely  give  us  all  things."  This  is  the  logic  of 
Christian  experience.  Adoption — therefore  sanc- 
tification  and  glory.  Gratitude  lives  in  the  prom- 
ises, already  possessing  the  substance  of  things 
hoped  for.  ''  Far  into  distant  worlds  she  i3ries, 
and  brings, eternal  glories  near."  Thus  Peter  de- 
clares that  the  elect  anticipate  their  coming 
blessedness  and  are  grateful  in  advance. 
"  Whom  having  not  seen,  ye  love;  in  whom, 
though  now  ye  see  him  not,  yet  believing,  ye 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory:  iPet.  1:8, 9. 
Receiving  the  end  of  your  faith,  even  the  sal- 
vation of  your  souls."  The  believer  already  re- 
ceives the  end,  the  final  reward  of  his  faith. 
Heaven  is  now  his.  In  this  he  rejoices  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  the  coming  glory. 
For  this  he  gives  thanks.      On  account  of  this 


180  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

he   loves  life  because  of  his  privileges,  and  is 

fearless  of  death  because  of  his  hopes. 

But  true   gratitude  goes   much  farther   than 

this.  It  loves  the  giver  more  than  the 

God  His  own  o-ift.     It  sccs  in  the  e:if  t  not  so  much 

best  gift.  -  ^ 

a  gain  to  self  as  a  tolien  from  God. 

True  gratitude  never  degenerates  into  a  genial 
form  of  self^congratulation.  Dr.  Chalmers,  in 
his  sermon,  "  Gratitude  not  a  sordid  affection, " 
declares  that  v/e  should  be  thankful  to  the 
^  Being  who  loves  us  rather  than  to  the  Being 

who  confers  benefits  ui)on  us.  God  Him- 
self is  our  imperishable  treasure.  ''Thou  hast 
Ps.  4:7.  put  gladness  in  my  heart,  more  than  in  the 
time  that  their  corn  and  their  wine  increased. " 
Our  Gratitude  is  not  the  glow  of  a  selfish  enjoy- 
ment but  the  response  of  a  quickened  affection. 
We  are  grateful  not  because  we  are  gratified 
but  because  we  are  beloved  of  God. 

True  gratitude  then  rejoices  in  the  fulfillment 
of  God's  i)lan  in  the  world.  It  i^raises  God  for 
every  soul  adoj^ted  into  the  family.  The  be- 
liever shares  in  the  joy  of  heaven  over  the  sin- 
ner that  repenteth.  We  are  grateful  not  only  for 
our  own  salvation  but  for  that  of  all  who  are 
saved.      How  characteristic  of  Paul  was  such 


GRATITUDE  181 

vicarious  gratitude.  "I  thank  my  God  upon 
every  remembrance  of  you."  This  is  one  of  the 
purest  joys  of  the  Christian  life,  to  rejoice  in 
new  accessions  to  the  chosen  family.  "We  give 
thanks  to  God  and  the  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  praying  always  for  you,  since  we 
heard  of  your  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  of  the 
love  which  ye  have  to  all  the  saints,  for  the 
hope  which  is  laid  up  for  you  in  heaven. " 
Every  Christian  understands  this  feeling.  It  is 
gratitude  to  God  for  the  work  which  He  is 
carrying  on  in  the  hearts  of  men.  When  a 
revival  of  religion  visits  a  church  or  a  city,  one 
of  the  richest  blessings  connected  with  it  is  the 
deepening  of  joy  among  believers  because  of 
the  conversion  of  great  numbers  to  Christ. 
Even  the  report  of  a  revival  in  a  distant  city 
and  the  conversion  of  strangers  will  awaken 
thankfulness  in  the  Christian  as  he  reads  the 
report  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  work.  And  if  it  be 
the  conversion  of  a  very  dear  friend  no  words 
can  express  the  joy  which  springs  up  in  the  soul 
of  a  Christian  father  and  mother,  brother  or 
sister  or  friend.  Sometimes  gratitude  for  the 
conversion  of  another  seems  stronger  than  that 
for  our  own  adoption  into  God's  family.     What 


Phil.  1:3. 


Colos.  1:3-5. 


182  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

inexpressible  thankfulness  is  theirs  who  are 
privileged  to  win  many  souls  to  Christ.  The 
joy  of  leading  one  soul  into  the  kingdom  is 
worth  a  lifetime  of  effort.  No  Christian  minis- 
ter can  be  content  without  this  reward  of  his 
labors.  Whatever  comforts,  enjoyment,  pros- 
perity may  attend  him,  if  God  does  not  honor 
his  ministry  by  the  conversion  of  souls  he  is  a 
miserable  man.  But  if  many  of  his  people  find 
the  pearl  of  great  price  and  rejoice  in  the  hope 
of  sin  forgiven  he  is  rew^arded  a  thousand  fold. 
Whatever  his  trials  he  goes  about  with  a  light 
heart.  The  secret  of  his  rejoicing  is  in  the  sal- 
vation of  souls.  It  is  that  same  gratitude 
which  filled  Paul's  heart  wdien  he  wrote  to  the 
Thessalonians,  "We  are  bound  to  give  thanks 
alway  to  God  for  you,  brethren  beloved  of  the 
2Thes2:i3.  Lqj.j^  bccausc  God  liatli  from  the  beginning 
chosen  you  to  salvation  through  sanctification  of 
the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth.  " 

If  these  lines  fall  under  the  eye  of  any  young 
man  who  is  thinking  of  the  ministry 
entering  the  for  a  life  work  let  him  weigh  this 
ministry.  consideration  with  care.  If  he  enters 
upon  such  a  life  for  its  literary  advantages,  or 
because  of  its  social  respectability,   or  for   its 


GRATITUDE  183 

opportunities  for  ease,  or  for  the  purpose  of 
earning  a  living,  he  will  find  it  no  bed  of  roses 
but  will  say  with  Melancthon  that  it  is  "the 
misery  of  miseries,"  and  at  last  will  with  diffi- 
culty give  an  account  of  his  stewardship.  But 
if  he  seeks  souls  he  will  surely  succeed  and  the 
sweetest  and  highest  rewards  of  the  Christian 
life  will  be  his.  There  is  no  honor  which  a 
mortal  man  can  receive  from  God  like  that  of 
being  sent  forth  as  a  messenger  of  the  Gospel  of 
Peace.  There  is  no  opportunity  in  other  callings 
for  doing  good  which  can  for  a  moment  compare 
with  the  opportunities  of  the  Christian  ministry. 
It  is  said^  that  w^e  do  not  want  all  men  to  be 
ministers,  that  a  man  can  serve  God  in  business 
or  in  the  secular  profession.  But  if  a  young 
man  has  the  possibilities  of  the  Christian  minis- 
try set  before  him,  if  he  hears  God's  call  to  that 
sacred  office,  he  is  favored  and  honored.  It 
would  be  a  mistake  for  him  to  drop  into  a  small 
sphere  of  power  after  such  a  vocation.  As  Mr. 
Spurgeon  says,  "  It  would  be  a  pity  for  a  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel  to  drivel  down  into  a  king. " 
Though  he  labors  in  the  humblest  parish, 
struggling  with  poverty  and  lightly  esteemed, 
the   herald   of   God's   Glad  Tidings  occupies  a 


14. 


184  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

position  far   higher  than   the  highest  that  the 
world  can  give. 

But  the  Holy  Spirit  works  in  the  believer's 
heart  a  vet  higher  form  of  gratitude. 

The  chief  .      .  .    .  . 

cause  for        The  Christian  rejoices  in  the  salva- 
tion  of   souls   because   of   the   glory 
which  comes  to  God. 

We  have  already  seen  that  we  are  chosen  of 
Epn.  i:i2.  Qo(i  ^  to  the  praise  of  his  glory."  That  is  the 
chief  end  of  our  adoption,  the  glory  of  God. 
That,  too,  is  the  chief  end  and  aim  of  our  life  as 
His  chosen  ones.  We  delight  in  that  more  than 
in  our  jDcrsonal  gain  and  pleasure.  When, 
therefore,  God's  glory  is  promoted  we  are  glad 
and  grateful.  Every  conversion  exalts  and  glo- 
rifies divine  love  and  grace.  It  honors  God.  It 
redounds  to  His  praise.  We  rejoice  in  the  glory 
which  comes  to  Him  and  thank  Him  for  secur- 
ing it.  This  is  the  feeling  of  every  chosen  one 
as  to  his  own  adoption  and  that  of  others.  It  is 
something  which  makes  God  glorious  before  the 
universe.  This  was  Isaiah's  gratitude  when  he 
cried,  "  Sing,  O  ye  heavens;  for  the  Lord  hath 
done  it;  shout,  ye  lower  parts  of  the  earth: 
break  forth  into  singing,  ye  mountains,  O  for- 
est, and  every  tree  therein;  for  the  Lord  hath 


Isa  44:  23. 


GRATITUDE  185 

redeemed  Jacob,  and  glorified  himself  in  Israel." 
Here  the  x^i'ophet  is  grateful  because  Jacob  is 
redeemed  and  because  in  Jacob's  redemption 
God  has  glorified  Himself.  Such  a  gratitude 
might  be  feebly  illustrated  by  the  feeling  of  a 
child  toward  an  earthly  father.  The  family  is  in 
distressing  straits.  The  father  by  some  heroic 
effort,  displaying  marked  self-sacrifice,  patience, 
and  resolution,  rescues  them  and  establishes  the 
home  in.  peace  and  happiness.  The  younger 
children  think,  perhaps,  only  of  restored  com- 
fort. They  are  grateful  in  their  way.  But  the 
eldest  son  sees  the  honor  of  his  father  vindicated 
and  increased.  He  values  most  of  all  the  esteem 
in  which  his  father  is  held  because  of  his  noble 
conduct.  He  rejoices  in  his  father's  glory  more 
than  in  personal  gain. 

Unquestionably  this  will  be  no  small  part  of 
the  joy  of  heaven,  that  God's  chosen 

^    \  .  .         The  grateful 

ones  will  behold  His  glory  and  praise  jcy  of 
Him  for  it.  Of  the  miracle  at  Cana 
we  read,  "  This  beginning  of  miracles  did  Jesus 
in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  manifested  forth  his 
glory."  In  one  of  his  writings  Hazlitt  tells  us  of 
a  visit  which  he  made  to  a  picture  of  the  mar- 
riage at  Cana  by  Paul  Veronese.     "  When  I  saw 


John  2. II. 


John  4:23. 


186  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

it,"  he  says,  "  it  covered  one  side  of  a  large  room 
in  the  Louvre,  and  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  that 
side  of  the  apartment  were  thrown  open  and  you 
looked  out  at  the  oi)en  sky,  at  buildings,  marble 
pillars,  galleries  with  people  in  them,  slaves,  mu- 
sicians, tables  loaded  with  viands,  a  sparkling, 
overwhelming  confusion.  The  only  fault  you 
could  find  with  it  was  there  was  no  miracle  going 
on  in  the  face  of  the  spectators."  A  fault,  in- 
deed, that  our  Lord  should  be  manifesting  forth 
his  glory  and  that  there  should  be  no  responsive 
sympathy  in  the  faces  of  his  friends.  It  is  not 
always  so.  God's  goodness  is  reflected  from 
the  countenances  of  His  elect.  On  many  a  face 
is  the  look  of  grateful  joy  which  tells  of  the  rev- 
erent awe  and  thanksgiving  of  the  heart. 

Gratitude  is  a  grace  which  the  chosen  one 
Why  cherish  should  diligently  cultivate.  He  is 
gratitude?  j^q^  ^q  await  its  coming  but  is  to  sue 
for  it  at  the  tlirone  of  grace  and  to  cultivate  it 
by  appropriate  effort. 

God  wants  our  gratitude.     That  is  a  remarka- 

Qod  ^^®  expression  of  our  Lord  where  He 

wants  it.        assures  the  woman  of  Samaria   that 

God  "  seeks "  true  worshipers.     Think  of  God 

going  out  in  quest  of  acceptable  worship!     God 


GRATITUDE  187 

seeks  our  praise.  It  is  our  privilege  to  turn  our 
thoughts  away  from  our  sins  and  our  failings, 
our  wants  and  our  pleasures,  and  to  contemplate 
the  riches  of  God's  grace  toward  us  and  toward 
His  chosen  ones.  A  cheerful  gratitude  is  our 
duty.     We  owe  it  to  God. 

Then,  too,  gratitude  makes  the  Christian 
strong.  "  The  joy  of  the  Lord  is  your  ^  ,^  makes  ^^^'  ^■^°' 
strength."  It  tends  to  make  us  less  "^  strong, 
selfish  and  unselfishness  is  power.  It  reinforces 
our  faith  and  so  equips  us  for  service.  It  turns 
our  thoughts  outward  and  upward  and  so  forti- 
fies us  against  temptation.  Satan  delights  to 
find  Elijah  under  the  juniper  tree.  There  the 
prophet  is  at  his  worst.  The  grateful  Christian 
is  so  much  more  efficient  as  a  servant  of  God, 
so  much  healthier  in  religious  life,  so  much 
richer  in  all  spiritual  experience,  that  we  do  well 
to  cultivate  gratitude  and  to  pray  for  it  as  one  of 
the  ''  best  gifts." 

Finally,  gratitude  is  attractive  and  influential. 
It    brightens   and   freshens    the   be- 

c.  Draws  be- 
liever.    It  disposes  him  to  cheerful-   holders  to 

ness   and   charitableness.     It  allures 

the  world  to  his  religion.     Piety  is  sweetened 

and  beautified  by  gratitude.     Very  manifest  is 


188  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

this  in  the  apostle  Paul.  Who  can  tell  how 
much  his  spirit  of  thankfulness  added  to  his 
influence?  His  songs  of  praise  opened  prison 
doors,  not  only  to  himself  but  to  his  fellow-pris- 
oners. Every  one  can  understand  cheerfulness. 
A  radiant  religion  is  a  light  in  a  dark  world 
Gratitude  shines.  It  is  more  than  a  sanguine 
temperament.  It  attracts  attention  and  is  win- 
some. It  conquers  unbelief  and  draws  men  to 
Him  who  is  its  source. 


Ohaptek  XIV. 
WITNESSING  TO  CHRIST. 


When  any  truth  becomes  central  and  vital  there  comes 
the  desire  to  utter  it.  — Richard  S.  Storrs  D.  D. 

The  hackneyed  objection  that  it  is  presumption  for 
any  one  to  say  that  he  is  a  child  of  God  takes  too  much  for 
granted.  It  never  is  presumption  to  acknowledge  what 
you  are.  If  a  man  has  not  been  delivered  from  the 
dominion  of  sin,  andadoptedintothe  family  of  God,  for  him 
to  say  that  such  is  the  case  is  presumption;  but  if  he  has, 
then  not  to  praise  his  Redeemer  for  it  would  be  ingratitude. 

—  William  Arthur. 

No  mattej  how  tall  the  minaret,  the  mullah  preaches 
only  what  he  knows.  — Turkish  Proverb. 


The   believer   who   knows   what   it   is   to  be 
chosen   of   God  understands  what  is 

The  meaning: 

meant  by  a  confession  of  Christ.    He  of  christian 
also  sees  why  Christ  commanded  him 
to   make   this    confession,   and    it    becomes   a 
delight  to  him  to  testify  of  the  goodness  of  God 
in  his  salvation. 

If  our  hope  of  salvation  rests  upon  our  choice 
of  Christ  our  "profession  of  religion  "  is  chiefly 
the  announcement  of  a  decision  which   we  have 
189 


Mat.  10:32. 


190  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

made.  If  we  believe  that  Christ  chose  us  because 
He  foresaw  that  we  would  choose  Him,  or  be- 
cause of  some  fitness  for  discixjleship  in  us, 
our  profession  is  mingled  with  self^righteous- 
ness.  Many  Christians  are  disturbed  by  the 
criticisms  of  the  world  upon  their  religious  pre- 
tensions because  they  do  not  realize  that  they 
are  in  the  fold  solely  through  the  unmerited  and 
unaccountable  grace  of  God.  The  world  charges 
them  with  professing  to  be  better  than  others. 
This  charge  they  cannot  answer  because  they 
think  of  the  Christian  life  as  their  own  undertak- 
ing, begun  by  their  own  act,  and  sustained  with 
God's  assistance  by  their  own  effort.  Still  others 
who  have  been  born  again  hesitate  to  confess 
Christ  because  they  think  that  such  a  confession 
implies  that  they  consider  themselves  good 
enough  to  be  saved. 

Let  us  turn  to  the  Scriptures.  Our  Savior  says, 
"  Whosoever  therefore  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before 

'  The  Biblical 

my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."   Two  idea  of  con- 

.         ,  ,  /-\  •       ii  fession. 

facts  are  noticeable.     One  is  the  use 
of  the  word  '*  confess. "      We   sometimes   speak 
of   a   Christian   "profession,"  "a  profession  of 
faith,"    and   in   former  days    Christians   were 


WITNESSISG  TO  CHRIST  191 

called  "professors.  "  But  "profession"  has 
come  to  suggest  self=assertion  if  not  pretense. 
Confession  is  the  better  word.  It  is  more 
humble  and  has  not  fallen  into  disrepute.  The 
other  fact  is  that  we  confess  Christ  himself. 
We  acknowledge  a  Eedeemer.  Our  confession 
exalts  Him.  We  do  not  so  much  avow  anything 
concerning  ourselves  as  we  declare  that  He  is 
Lord  and  Master.  When  the  believer  comes 
forward  publicly  to  take  upon  himself  Christian 
vows  he  does  indeed  proclaim  his  own  hope  and 
faith,  but  the  chief  puriDose  of  this  act  is  to  set 
forth  Christ  as  worthy  of  all  honor  and  glory, 
and  to  hide  behind  Him.  This  imrpose  takes* 
from  confession  all  appearance  of  self-confi- 
dence. It  is  not  a  x^rofession  of  self  but  a  con- 
fession of  Christ.  Its  object  is  not  to  bring  the 
believer  into  notice  but  to  glorify  the  saving 
grace  of  God. 

Paul  presents   this   truth   in   the   same   way. 
"If   thou   shalt   confess  with    thy   mouth    the   ^^^^ 
Lord  Jesus."     Nowhere  in  his  writ-  vvhatPaui 
ings   does    he    claim    anything    for  ^^y^- 
himself   in   his  confession  of   faith.     It   is   all 
Christ  and  the  Glory  of  Christ.     As  for  himself 
he  is  the  chief  of  sinners.     It  is  the  world  that 


Acts  i:8. 


192  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

professes  to  be  good.  The  Christian  professes 
to  be  sinful.  It  is  the  unbeliever,  not  the  child 
of  God,  who  declares  that  he  has  "done  as  well 
as  he  could,"  and  is  as  good  as  others.  The 
chosen  one  renounces  all  claims  to  goodness 
and  confesses  his  need  of  Christ.  He  virtually 
says,  "  I  know  that  I  am  not  secure  in  my  own 
strength,  I  therefore  lay  hold  on  divine  grace. " 
This  he  says  in  view  of  all  the  resources  of  God 
for  human  salvation.  A  soldier  on  the  rock  of 
Gibraltar,  behind  the  walls  of  its  fortress,  is  not 
conceited  in  feeling  safe.  The  redeemed  soul 
is  secure  on  the  Rock  of  Ages.  Its  hope  is 
not  spiritual  pride. 

What  then  is  it  to  confess  Christ?  It  is 
simply  to  testify  to  a  fact.  That  fact  is  the  one 
which  forms  the  central  thought  of  this  book. 
It  is  the  fact  of  the  believer's  adop- 
chHsttr***  tion  into  the  family  of  God.  He 
simply  wit=     stands   up   to   declare  what  God  has 

ness  bearing. 

done  for  his  soul.  "  Ye  shall  be  wit- 
nesses unto  me, "  said  the  Savior.  The  believer 
confessing  his  Lord  is  a  witness  telling  what 
has  taken  place.  This  is  the  Biblical  teaching 
as  to  confession  of  Christ.  Observe  the  signifi- 
cance and  the  value  of  such  witness  bearing. 


WITNESSING  TO  CHRIST  193 

In  the  first  place,  the  believer  is  qualified  to 
make  such  a  confession.     If   the   act 
were   a  claim  to  superior  knowledge  j^ssJ'on**"' 
of  truth,   or   an   avowal   of   T^ersonal  trust= 

worthy. 

worth,  the  Christian  might  hesitate. 
But  all  that  he  does  is  to  testify  as  to  what  has 
taken  place  within  him.     This  he  is  competent 
to  do.     If  he  knows  anything  he  knows  his  own 
spiritual  experiences.  He  is  like  the  blind  man 
who  said,  "One   thing   I   know."     This  is   not  johnq:2S; 
boasting,  it  is  humility.     The  Christian  of  hum-  2fim.  1:12 
blest  attainments  need  not  hesitate  to  acknowl- 
edge   God's    goodness     and     grace.        If    the 
Christian  life  consisted  in  a  series  of  holy  deeds 
few^  could  lay  claim   to  it.     But  if  it  is  a  divine 
gift — God's  work  in  the  human  soul,  bestowed 
by  the  good  i3leasure  of  His  will,  and  carried  on 
by  Him  to  His  own  Glory — the  most  unworthy 
recipient  may  tell  the  world  that  he  has  it. 

Again,  Christian  confession  is  the  best  defense 
of  Christianity.     The  world  will  listen  to  facts 
when  they  are  deaf  to  reason.     Paul  Persuasive 
begins  his  speech  to  the  angry  mob,   chTistian 
"  Men,  brethren,  and  fathers,  hear  ye  testimony.      ^^^^  ^^^ 
my  defence."     What  is  his  defence?     Here  is 
the  acutest  reasoner,  the  profoundest  theologian 


194  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

of  the  church,  about  to  defend  Christianity  as 
represented  in  his  own  person.  Now  we  shall 
have  the  most  masterly  doctrinal  debate  of  the 
ages.  Paul  is  about  to  prove  the  Gospel  true. 
Let  us  prepare  for  most  learned  arguments. 
Nothing  of  the  kind.  He  goes  on  to  say — I  was 
on  the  road  to  Damascus,  and  I  sav/  a  great  light. 
Testimony  to  a  fact.  Confession  of  Christ. 
That  is  the  best  that  Christianity  has  to  say. 
That  is  her  ''defence,  " — w^itness  bearing.  Some 
brother  rises  in  the  church  to  say, — I  was  in 
trouble  and  darkness.  I  was  a  great  sinner  and 
could  not  save  myself.  Suddenly  I  was  blinded 
by  a  great  light,  and  heard  a  wondrous  voice, 
and  I  w^as  taken  by  the  hand  and  led  to  him 
whom  I  had  i^ersecuted,  and  he  opened  my 
eyes,  and  now  I  have  comfort  and  peace.  Enough 
— you  have  said  everything,  brother.  All 
the  philosophers  in  the  world  cannot  answer 
that.  You  have  uttered  the  strongest  argument 
ever  offered  for  Christianity,  the  statement  of 
incontestable  fact.  This  is  the  startling  thought, 
— Christian  confession  is  the  defence  of  the 
Christian  religion.  The  Gospel  does  not  chal- 
lenge the  world  to  a  battle  of  words.  It  takes 
its   stand   by   redeemed   men   and   women  and 


WITNESSING  TO  CHRIST  195 

says, — Here  is  my  work;  listen  to  their  recital. 
And  so  long  as  believers  testify  to  the  facts  of 
spiritual  experience  Christianity  cannot  be  over- 
thrown. 

It  follows  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  chosen 
one  t(j  publicly  confess  his  Savior.  It  is  not  a 
difficult  thing  to  do.  Nothing  is  easier  than  to 
tell  facts.  The  believer  is  not  required  to  be  a 
learned  expounder  of  truth,  nor  a  confession 
subtle  reasoner.  He  is  invited  to  be  ZT^^prlZ 
something  better,  Christ's  witness.  '^s:e. 
He  has  only  to  relate  his  exi^erience.  He  has 
merely  to  sa}^ — I  have  tasted  and  the  Lord  is 
good.  Marlv  the  change  in  the  patriarch  Job. 
At  first  long  and  weary  discussion,  appeals  to 
reason,  issuing  in  nothing.  Then  after  God  re- 
vealed Himself,  simple  confession,  "  I  have 
heard  of  thee  by  the  hearing  of  the  ear:  but  job  42:5. 
now  mine  eye  seeth  thee.  "  Such  a  confession 
every  believer  owes  to  God.  If  the  Savior  has 
done  much  for  him  gratitude  should  prompt 
him  to  declare  it.  He  should  wait  only  long 
enough  to  be  reasonably  sure  of  his  calling.  No 
man,  no  church  should  hold  him  back,  however 
young,  however  imperfect,  if  he  wishes  to  unite 
with  the  people  of  God. 


I  Tim.  4:12. 


196  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

The  believer  owes  it  to  himself  to  confess 
Christ.     Secret   discipleship    is   weak  disciple- 
ship.     The   Christian   will  not  ejrow 

No  growth  ^  ° 

without  in   grace  who  neglects  to   confess  his 

Lord.  Open  avowal  of  his  standing 
will  strengthen  and  refresh  him.  He  will  escape 
many  temptations  and  Letter  resist  those  which 
come.  There  is  no  promise  in  the  Word  to  the 
Mk.  8:38.  secret  disciijle.  On  the  contrary  Christ  is  severe 
on  those  who  are  are  ashamed  of  Him.  Let  not 
the  young  Christian  wait  for  perfection.  One 
indispensable  step  toward  perfection  is  open  con- 
fession of  Christ.  Give  expression  to  the  hoj}e 
and  love  within.  A  blessing  will  come  in  return. 
We  do  not  have  to  v/ait  for  the  great  reward  of 
hearing  Christ  confess  us  before  the  Father  and 
His  angels.  The  reward  comes  now  in  the  very 
act  of  confession,  the  reward  of  Christ's  approv- 
al and  grace  for  grace.  The  believer  owes  it  to 
others  to  confess  Christ.  He  owes  it  to  his 
fellow  Christians.  They  are  refreshed  and 
comforted  by  his  testimony.  They  are  cheered 
and  stimulated  by  every  new  addition  to  the 
church  of  Christ.  And  he  owes  it  to  the  great 
world  lying  in  sin.  God  saves  men  by  means 
of  other  men  who  have  been  saved.  The  mission 


WITNESSING  10  CHRIST  197 

of  the  believer  is  like  that  of  the  woman  of 
Samaria,  who  left  her  water-pot  and  went  to  the 
villagers  to  tell  them  of  the  Messiah.  It  is  thus 
that  God  has  again  and  again  saved  sinners. 
We  do  not  stand  alone  in  our  experiences.  We 
bear  witness  to  the  truth  as  it  has  come  to  our 
hearts.  It  is  the  same  truth  as  that  given  in 
the  Bible  by  inspiration,  but  preached  from  the 
volume  of  personal  experience  it  finds  its  way 
with  great  power  to  human  hearts.  Do  not  un- 
derestimate the  value  of  such  testimony.  You 
are  a  very  imperfect  disciple  but  your  confession 
of  Christ's  power  may  convince  other  souls  of 
the  true  value  of  salvation.  Patients  do  not 
ask  for  the  medical  theories  of  a  physician,  but 
whether  he  has  cured  anybody.  The  reasona- 
bleness of  the  Gospel  may  be  presented  power- 
fully from  the  pulpit,  but  if  men  are  to  be  con- 
vinced the  i^ew  must  make  confession  of  Christ's 
saving  power. 

We  see  now  the  meaning  of  the  apostle  when 
he   says   that    in    partaking    of    the 
Lord's  Supper  we  "  do  shew  the  Lord's  Christ  at  the  ^  ^^7!  "■^^' 
death  till  he  come."  Swe"!"""" 

Such   communion   is   one   way   of 
confessing  Christ.     The  Bible  declares  that  if 


198  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

we  eat  and  drink  unworthily  we  suffer  condem- 
nation. Yet  the  believer  dares  to  eat  and  drink. 
He  does  not  so  because  he  thinks  that  he  is 
more  worthy  than  others.  But  he  comes  be- 
cause he  knows  that  God  has  chosen  him.  He 
comes  in  the  worthiness  of  Christ,  confessing 
Christ  as  his  atonement,  confessing  himself  a 
sinner  lost  but  for  the  sacrifice  which  he  com- 
memorates. Thus  he  comes.  Thus  he  may 
come  in  his  need — come  at  Christ's  invitation 
to  the  feast  which  Christ  has  spread. 


Chapter  XV. 
HUMlIelTY. 


Humble  we  must  be,  if  to  heaven  we  go  ; 

High  is  the  roof  there,  but  the  gate  is  low; 
Whene'er  thou  speakest,  look  with  lowly  eye, 

Grace  is  increased  by  humility. 

— Robert  Herrick. 

Apart  from  the  vine  stock  the  branch  is  nothing  and 
can  yield  nothing.  Our  whole  life,  character,  and  service 
depend  on  vital  union  with  Christ.  What  a  lesson  in  hu- 
mility! So  dependent  are  we  upon  Christ  that  everything 
in  us  that  has  any  attraction  or  power  or  value  is  not  our 
own  but  His.  The  whole  beauty  and  fertility  of  the 
branch  is  really  that  of  the  vine.  — A.  T.  Pierson. 

But  for  the  grace  of  God  there  goes  John  Bradford. 

— John  Bradford. 

Why  me,  Lord,  why  me?  — Whitefield. 

In  the  course  of  a  long  life  I  have  observed  that  when 
people  are  getting  religionthey  are  full  of  self-abasement, 
and  are  ever  ready  to  condemn  themselves  ;  but  when 
they  are  losing  it,  or  have  lost  it,  they  are  often  full  of  self- 
confidence,  and  find  their  pleasure  in  censuring  and  con- 
demning other  persons.  — Newton. 

I  see  no  fault  committed  which  I  too  might  not  have 
committed.  —Goethe. 

I  do  not  know  what  the  heart  of  a  villian  may  be.  I 
only  know  that  of  a  virtuous  man  and  that  is  frightful. 

Count  de  Maistre. 
199 


200  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

In  a  deep  growing  sense  of  the  evil  of  sin  ;  in  deeper 
humility;  in  lower  views  of  self;  in  more  entire  depend- 
ence on  Christ  for  righttousness  and  on  the  Holy  Spirit 
for  the  work  of  grace  ;  in  feelings  that  fill  us  with  pain 
and  regret  and  godly  sorrow,  and  that  make  us  eat  our 
passover  with  bitter  herbs — the  work  of  sanctitication 
may  be  going  on.  — Guthrie. 

Few  speak  of  humility  humbly.  — Pascal. 

Humbly  to  conceal  humility,  and  to  shun  the  praise 
of  being  humble.  — Motto  of  Ignathis  Loyola. 

Oh,  gift  of  gifts!     Oh,  grace  of  faith! 

My  God  !    how  can  it  be 
That  thou,  who  hast  discerning  love, 

Should'st  give  that  gift  to  me? 

— Faber. 

With  the  hope  of  ultimate  acceptance  with  God  I  have 
enjoyed  much  cheerfulness  before  men;  but  I  have  at  the 
same  time  labored  incessantly  to  cultivate  the  deepest  hu- 
mility before  God.  I  have  never  thought  that  the  circum- 
stance of  God  having  forgiven  me  was  any  reason  why  I 
should  forgive  myself;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  always 
judged  it  better  to  loathe  myself  the  more  in  proportion 
as  I  was  assured  that  God  was  pacified  toward  me. 
(Ezek.  16:63.)  Kor  have  I  been  satisfied  v.'ith  viewing  my 
sins  as  men  view  the  stars  on  a  cloudy  night,  one  here,  and 
another  there,  with  great  intervals  between  them ;  but 
have  endeavored  to  get  and  to  preserve  continually  before 
my  eyes,  such  a  view  of  them  as  we  have  of  the  stars  in 
the  brightest  night:  the  greater  and  the  smaller  all  inter- 
mingled, and  forming  as  it  were  one  continuous  mass. 

— Rev.  Charles  Simeon. 

The   consciousness  of  being  chosen  of   God 
ood's  conde-  produces   a   sfenuine  and  healthy  hu- 

scension  in  *^ 

choosing        mility.     For   this   reason,   if    for   no 

some  to  sal-  i         i     t 

vation.  other,   the   behever   should  meditate 

much  ux)on  the  exceeding  riches  of  grace  mani- 
fested   in    his    calling.     For    humility    is    an 


HUMILITY  201 

elusive  and  treacherous  virtue.  The  moment 
one  thinks  of  it  he  is  apt  to  lose  it.  If  one  tries 
to  cherish  it  he  may  fall  into  a  morbid  and  un- 
real feeling.  But  the  humility  which  comes  of 
high  honors  bestowed,  the  sense  of  unworthi- 
ness  v/hich  accompanies  the  joy  of  receiving 
spiritual  gifts  from  God,  is  so  free  from  the  dross 
of  self  and  withal  so  grateful,  so  leavened  with 
bold  confidence  and  so  little  in  danger  from  ex- 
cess, that  were  it  only  to  gain  such  a  virtue  we 
might  well  think  often  of  our  adoption  into  the 
family  of  God. 

True,  this  is   not   the  only   avenue  by  which 
humility  ^comes  to   the  heart   of   the  Christian. 
A   just   sense    of     one's     sinfulness,   conscience 
sueli  as  David  shows  in  the  fifty^first  ZtZlVoi 
Psalm  makes  one  humble.     It  is   our  ™'"''- 
undoubted  duty  to  scrutinize  ourselves  carefully 
that  we   may  "understand  our  errors."     There  Ps.  19:1 
is  some  danger  of  discouragement  in  this  course, 
and  of  falling  into  a  joyless  state  of  soul  which 
is  not  to  the  glory  of   God.     We  are  not  to  for- 
get that   where  sin   abounds  grace   much  more 
abounds.     The   Christian   must  not  be   forever 
playing  the  policeman  upon  himself,  and  find- 
ing a  melancholy  satisfaction  in  taking  himself 


202  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

into  custody  for  real  or  fancied  misdemeanors 
Humility  is  unhealthy  if  it  is  associated  with 
constant  depression  of  spirits. 

Again,  humility  is  sometimes  fostered  by  the 

comparison  of  ourselves  with  other  Christians  of 

higher  attainments.    Thomas  A'Kem- 

Observation 

oftheattain-  pis   says,  "  Do  uot  think    that   thou 

ments  of  ,  ,  .  , 

other  Chris-  hast  made  any  progress  toward  per- 
*•""'•  fection  till  thou  feelest  that  thou  art 

less  than  the  least  of  all  human  beings.  "  With- 
in bounds  this  method  may  be  adopted.  It  is 
well  to  measure  ourselves  against  greater  men 
if  only  to  check  pride.  George  Whitefield  was 
sincere  when  he  depreciated  his  own  worth  as 
compared  with  that  of  Wesley.  "  Do  you  ex- 
pect to  see  John  Wesley  in  heaven?  "  he  was 
asked.  "  No,  I  do  not  expect  to  see  him  there.  " 
''Why  not?"  "Because  John  Wesley  will  be 
so  near  the  throne,  and  I  shall  be  so  far  from  it, 
that  I  can  have  no  hope  of  seeing  John  Wesley 
in  heaven."  This  was  at  the  time  of  the  tran- 
sient alienation  of  these  two  friends.  Such  an 
exami)le  w^e  may  emulate.  Just  here  comes  in 
the  advantage  of  reading  Christian  biography 
The  danger  to  be  guarded  against  is  again  that 
of  morbid  self^distrust  and  disheartenment. 


HUMILITY  203 

If  on  the   other  hand  we   compare  ourselves 
with  the  worst  of  men  we  are  moved 
not  to   pride  but  to   humility.     John  ^utfor 

God's    grace 

Bradford    was  made  humble  at  sight  we  might 

„  T  1  T  1-11  have   sinned 

or  a  drunken  murderer   being  led  on  hopelessly. 

the  street  to  prison.  Thus  we  may 
reflect  on  what  we  might  have  been  but  for 
God's  grace,  and  upon  the  j^ossibilities  of  evil 
which  are  yet  within  and  before  us.  Birth, 
circumstances,  education,  the  good  providence 
of  God,  have  defended  us  against  great  iniqui- 
ties. Of  some  temptations  we  know  nothing. 
We  are  "only  good  from  lack  of  test.''  Some 
one  say^s,  "  there  is  a  devil  in  every  saint.  " 
When  we  are  surest  that  we  stand  we  most  need 
to  take  heed  lest  we  fall.  However  vile  our 
fellow  man,  it  is  salutary  for  n^  to  remind  our- 
selves that  not  our  goodness  but  God's  grace 
has  saved  us  from  being  as  vile. 

But  there  is  a  better  way  than  any  of  these 
for  learning  humility.  It  is  by  re-  a  more  ex= 
fleeted  upon  our  adoption  in   Christ.  ^^"""*  ^"*y- 

In  the  first  place  we  note  liiat  our  Savior  re- 
minded his  followers  of  their  adoption  for  the 
purpose  of  making  them  humble.  He  had  just 
called    them    friends,    assuring    them    that   he 


John  i5'.i6. 


204  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

a.  The  way  ^^^  made  kiiown  to  them  the  secrets 
john,.:i5.    by  which        of  heaveii.     "All  things  that  I  have 

the  Savior  ^ 

led  his  heard   of  my   Father  I    have    made 

dic-ciples. 

known  unto  you.  But  it  was  for 
just  such  favors  that  they  had  been  contending. 
He  sav7  their  rising  pride.  He  must  make  them 
humble  and  yet  not  undo  the  inspiring  effect  of 
Ihe  words  just  spoken.  And  so  he  adds,  "  Ye 
have  not  chosen  me,  but  I  have  chosen  you,  and 
ordained  you,  "  and  reminds  them  that  the  ser 
vant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  Thus  he 
leaves  them  all  the  honor  of  being  friends  but 
takes  away  all  ground  for  their  boasting.  He 
so  presents  the  honor  that  humility  must  blend 
with  their  gratitude.  They  cannot  be  proud  for 
they  have  not  chosen  him:  they  cannot  be  dis- 
heartened for  he  has  chosen  them. 

That  the  disciples  learned  the  lesson  is  plain 
from  their  subsequent  lives  and  from  the  strain 

of  humility  which  always  blende 
miiity  of  the  with   the   uotc  of   cxultatiou  in  their 

apostles.  .    . 

writings.  Thus  Peter  in  the  opening 
of  his  first  epistle  addresses  the  "  elect  according 
to  the  foreknowledge  of  God.  "  He  sets  before 
them  the  glory  of  their  high  calling.  At  the 
same  time  he  exhorts  them  to  sobriety  of  mind 


HUMILITY  205 

and  connects  humility  on  their  part  with  exalta-   i  Pet.ch,  i. 

Rom.  5:6. 

tion  from  God.  The  spirit  of  James's  epistle  is  Jas.  1:18.21. 
the  same.  Immediately  after  assuring  his  read- 
ers that  "  of  his  own  will  begat  he  us  with  the 
word  of  truth,  "  he  appends  the  corollary  that 
they  are  to  "  receive  with  meekness  the  engraft- 
ed word. "  He  warns  them  against  a  boastful 
faith,  and  in  almost  the  very  words  which  Peter 
uses  presses  the  duty  of  humility.  "  Humble  jag.  ^-lo, 
yourselves  in  the  sight  of  the  Lord,  and  he 
shall  lift  you  up.  "  When  John  breaks  forth 
into  a  paean  of  praise  over  the  love  which  the 
Father  hath  bestowed  upon  us  it  is  difficult  to 
say  whether  the  uppermost  feeling  is  humility 
or  exultation.  Everywhere  in  Paul's  writings 
does  the  thought  of  his  rich  inheritance  in 
Christ  awaken  a  sense  of  un worthiness.  By 
nature  he  was  a  x3roud,  self-sufficient  man.  His 
pride  was  conquered  more  by  the  loving  kind- 
ness than  by  the  righteous  judgments  of  God. 
And  Vv'hen  he  urges  "  the  saints  and  faithful 
brethren  in  Christ  which  are  at  Colosse "  to 
"  put  on  therefore  as  the  elect  of  God,  holy  and 
beloved,  humbleness  of  mind, "  he  illustrates 
the  close  connection  between  the  sense  of  adop- 
tion and  the  grace  of  humility.     What  Chris- 


Colos.  3:12. 


206  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

tian,  conteiiiplatiiig  the  grace  which  has  reached 
down  and  saved  him  in  his  guilt,  can  be  any- 
thing but  humble?  Yet  such  humility  is  in 
littls  danger  from  those  temj^tations  which  often 
beset  this  virtue.  Boasting  is  excluded  by  the 
sense  of  unworthiness,  and  discouragement  is 
forbidden  by  the  consciousness  of  almighty 
grace  within.  It  is  a  joyous,  grateful  humility, 
a  virile  Christian  virtue,  emptied  of  self  and 
filled  with  Christ. 

This  virtue,  sx^ringing  from  a  sense  of  being 
chosen  of  God,  will  show  itself  in  a  certain  mod- 
Humiiit  to-  ®^^y  °^  mind  before  the  mysteries  of 
ward  re-         Biblical  truth.     We  do  not  mean  that 

vealed 

truth.  spurious  form  of  intellectual  humility 

which,  on  the  plea  of  not  being  wise  above  that 
which  is  written,  rejects  those  truths  of  revela- 
tion which  are  either  above  reason  or  are  not 
agreeable  to  the  carnal  mind.  There  is  a  gen- 
teel agnosticism  abroad,  masquerading  in  the 
garb  of  intellectual  modesty,  which  is  simply 
the  pride  of  unbelief.  With  this  the  true  Chris- 
tian has  nothing  to  do.  Things  revealed  belong 
unto  us  and  to  our  children  forever.  But  the 
child  of  God  in  the  fact  of  his  adoption  has 
come  face  to  face  with  one  of  the  mysteries  of 


HUMILITY  207 

divine  grace.  This  fact  is  as  certain  as  any  fact 
of  consciousness  can  be.  The  explanation  of  it 
he  cannot  fathom.  Before  such  unsearchable 
judgments  of  God  he  is  silent  and  humble.  He 
has  learned  that  human  reason  is  not  the  meas- 
ure of  divine  truth.  Because  he  cannot  under- 
stand a  doctrine  will  no  longer  be  a  reason  for 
his  doubting  it.  He  cannot  understand  his  own 
redemption  yet  knows  that  he  is  redeemed. 
Hence  forth  he  w^ill  search  the  Scriptures  to 
learn  what  God  has  made  known,  and  will  not 
lean  to  his  own  understanding.  Thus  he  will 
gain  loyalty  of  intellect  to  the  truth  of  God, 
which  is  as  jiiuch  his  duty  as  loyalty  of  will  to 
the  commandment  of  God. 

Christian  humility,  springing  from  the  experi- 
ence of  adoption,  will   bear  fruit  in  Christian 
living.     Augustine,  uj)on  being   ask- 
ed,  What   is   the   first  grace  of   the  leavensthe 
Christian  character?  replied,  Humili-  ^grarter 
ty.      And    the      second?     Humility. 
And  the  third  ?  And  still  Augustine  replied,  Hum- 
ility.   Right — responded  the  questioner,  for  with- 
out it   we   cannot  receive   any   other  grace   of 
God. 


208  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

The  root  of  sin  is  selfishness.  And  what  is 
selfishness?  At  bottom  selfishness  is  an  undue 
sense  of  one's  own  worth  and  deserts.  Check- 
ing this  evil  feeling  humility  forbids  the  believ- 
er to  exalt  himself  above  his  fellows.  Thus 
humility  strikes  at  the  root  of  sin.  In  so  doing 
it  is  a  powerful  preventive  of  strife  and  dissen- 
sion in  the  church.  Conscious  of  how  much  he 
has  been  forgiven  by  God  the  chosen  one  will 
readily  forgive  what  little  injuries  he  may  re- 
ceive from  his  fellow  men.  Humility  will  soft- 
en his  judgments  sweeten  his  manners,  and 
purify  his  prayers.  The  humblest  Christians 
are  the  strongest  Christians  in  the  face  of  op- 
position and  in  the  day  of  trial.  The  martyrs 
were  the  humblest  and  the  bravest  of  men ;  also 
the  happiest.  The  truly  humble  disciple  will 
attract  men  by  virtues  of  which  he  himself  is 
hardly  conscious,  and  of  which  he  does  not-wish 
to  speak.  Some  one  asked  Dr.  Lothrop  how 
much  religion  he  had.  "  Not  much  to  speak 
qf,^^  was  his  significant  reply.  Humility  and 
joy  are  closely  allied.  Happiness  comes  to  the 
lowly  spirit.  While  spiritual  pride  is  a  foe  to 
Christian  usefulness,  a  just  eense  of  the  divine 


HUMILITY  209 

condescension  increases  the  workman's  effect- 
iveness in  the  service  of  God.  In  short  true 
humility  beautifies  every  other  Christian  grace 
and  invigorates  the  whole  character. 


Chapter  XVI. 
SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD. 


He  must  have  a  long  spoon  who  would  sup  with  the 
devil.  — Old  Proverb. 

Our  prayers  often  resemble  the  mischievous  tricks  of 
town  children  who  knock  at  their  neighbor's  house  and 
then  run  away.  We  often  knock  at  heaven's  door  and 
then  run  off  into  the  spirit  of  the  world. 

—  Welsh  Preacher. 

Let  us  use  worldly  things  as  wise  pilgrims  do  their 
fitaves  and  other  necessaries  convenient  for  their  journey. 
So  long  as  they  help  us  forward  in  our  way,  let  us  make 
use  of  them  and  accordingly  esteem  them.  But  if  they 
become  troublesome  hinderances  and  cumbersome  bur- 
dens, let  us  leave  them  behind  us  or  cast  them  away. 

— Downame. 

All  the  water  is  waste  that  runs  beside  the  mill;  so  all 
thy  thoughts  and  words  are  waste  which  are  not  to  the 
glory  of  God.  A  bee  will  not  sit  on  a  flower  where  no 
honey  can  be  sucked;  neither  should  the  Christian  engage 
in  anything  but  for  his  soul's  good  and  God's  honor. 

— Gurnal. 

A  Christian  is  like  Jac^ob's  ladder:  while  his  body, 
that  lower  part,  stands  on  the  ground,  the  top,  his  higher 
and  better  part,  is  in  heaven.  — Adams. 

An   aged  minister,  disturbed  by  the  worldli- 
ness   of  his  people,    declared  his  intention  of 
210 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  211 

preaching  them   a  sermon  to    prove 

t-t       1  T        "^^^  greatest 

that     they    had    souls.         buch     a    CllS-    danger  of  the 
.    1   i     1         ,'        1        •  Christian. 

course  might  be  timely  m  many  a 
church.  The  steady  j)ressure  of  the  world  upon 
the  Christian  sometimes  makes  him  forget  his 
high  calling.  This  temptation  is  vividly  por- 
trayed in  the  Song  of  Solomon.  The  central 
thought  of  that  drama  is  that  the  world  is  con- 
tinually soliciting  the  church  from  her  Lord. 
Here  is  the  earthly  king  in  all  his  splendor 
seeking  to  allure  the  Shulamite  maiden  from 
her  absent  shepherd  lover.  So  the  church  waits 
the  return  of  her  Beloved  and  while  he  delays 
his  coming  xan  earthly  Solomon,  in  the  pride 
and  pomp  of  wealth  and  learning,  solicits  her 
affections.  The  chosen  one  must  recognize 
this  peril.  It  is  difficult  to  mark  the  exact  point 
at  which  unfaithfulness  to  Christ  begins.  That 
point  is  in  the  heart  out  of  sight.  The  world 
persuades  him  to  share  its  prosperity,  its  enjoy- 
ments, and  he  begins  to  lose  his  devotion  to 
Christ.  The  silent  pressure  of  unbelief,  the 
antagonism  of  the  world  to  the  hum- 
bling doctrines  of  grace,  pervade  his  think- 
ing like  a  malarial  atmosphere,  and  impair  the 
vigor  and  the  purity  of  his  faith.     He  lives  in  a 


Levit.  20:24. 


Deut.  14:2. 


212  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

world  whose  spirit  is  selfish  and  irreligious  and 
he  comes  into  close  contact,  and  even  into 
affectionate  relationship,  with  people  who  think 
lightly  of  sin  and  care  nothing  for  his 
Redeemer.  Insensibly  he  may  be  secularized. 
The  repeated  jars  of  a  heavy  train  passing  over 
a  bridge  are  equal  in  the  aggregate  to  one 
mighty  blow.  Few  Christians  surrender  to  the 
world  at  a  single  stroke.  It  is  the  insidious 
influences,  daily  repeated,  which  gradually 
weaken  and  shatter  devotion.  Then  come 
works  and  ceremonies,  activity  of  the  hands 
without  zeal  of  the  heart,  all  the  formalities  of 
religion  without  its  inward  fire  and  force. 

The  Christian  should  therefore   think   much 
of   his  adoption   into  God's    family. 

Adoption  ^  -^ 

involves  He  is  clioseu  from  something  to 
something.  How  earnestly  God  im- 
pressed this  fact  upon  Israel.  "I  am  the  Lord 
your  God,  which  have  separated  you  from  other 
people.  "  "  For  tliQU  art  an  holy  x^eople  unto 
the  Lord  thy  God,  and  the  Lord  hath  chosen 
thee  to  be  a  peculiar  peojDle  unto  himself,  above 
all  the  nations  that  are  upon  the  hearth. "  And 
the  sign  and  evidence  of  this  sejDaration  was 
that  God  was  with  them  as  He  was  not  with  the 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  2lS 

nations.     "For  wherein  shall  it  be  known  here 

Exod.  33:16. 

that  I  and  thy  people  have  found  grace  in  thy 
sight?  is  it  not  in  that  thou  goest  with  us?  so 
shall  w^e  be  separated,  I  and  thy  people,  from  all 
thej^eople  that  are  upon  the  face  of  the  earth." 
Adopted  therefore  separated.  The  child  of  God 
is  taken  away  from  his  old  life,  which  is  the  life 
of  the  world,  and  ushered  into  a  life  utterly 
new. 

Turning  to  the  words  of  Christ  we  find  Him 
repeatedly  speaking   of  the  world  as 
hostile  to   Himself  and  to  His    fol-  f^^lJchrist  John  18:36: 
lowers.     His  kine-dom  is  not  of  this  and  the  17.16' 

^  World. 

world,  and  the  world  hates  Him.  He 
has  chosen  them  out  of  the  world.  Though 
they  are  in  the  world  they  are  not  of  the  world 
as  He  is  not  of  the  world.  He  came  to  do  the 
Father's  will  whereas  the  world  is  bent  on  doing 
its  own  will.  The  only  possible  result  was  the 
Cross.  It  is  so  to-day.  Christ  is  immensely  popu- 
lar in  the  idea.  Art  and  Literature  do  Him 
homage.  But  the  real  Christ  is  crucified  every 
day.  In  the  Bible  the  church  is  warned  not 
against  the  opposition  of  the  world  but  against 
its  friendship.     "The  friendship  of  the  world   , 

^  ^  James  4:4. 

is  enmity  with  God.     Whosoever  therefore  will 


214  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

be  a  friend  of  the  world  is  the  enemy  of  God. " 
We  do  not  need  to  soften  these  words  of  James. 
Worldliness  is  as  deadly  a  foe  to  piety  as  when 
the  Gospel  first  grappled  with  the  lust  and  vice 
of  the  early  centuries.  It  is  an  evil  day  when 
Acts  19:25.  our  Christianity  no  longer  offends  men,  when 
the  music  of  Demetrius's  opposition  is  no 
longer  heard.    The  Christian  family  is  "a  chosen 

1  Pet.  2:9.      generation,  a  royal  priesthood,  an  holy  nation,  a 

peculiar   peoijle."       No   polish   of   culture,   no 
amiability  of  temper,  no  exactness   of   morality, 
•  no   zeal  in  jphilanthropy,   can   bridge  the  gulf 

which  sei3arates  the  s^oiritual  life  of  the  true 
child  of  God  from  the  death  which  characterizes 
the  best  earthly  virtues.     Therefore  the  believer 

2  Cor.  should  come  out  and  be  separate.     He  has  been 

consecrated,  set  apart.  Like  his  Great  High 
Heb.  7:26.  Priest  he  is  to  be  "  holy,  harmless,  undefiled, 
sejjarate  from  sinners. "  He  should  become 
this  in  no  pride  of  heart,  but  in  most  humble 
and  grateful  remembrance  of  God's  condescen- 
sion and  mercy  in  calling  him  from  darkness 
into  light. 

What  is  separation  from  the  w^orld?  Not 
alienation  from  all  persons  who  are  in  the 
world.      Christianity  should  inspire  within  us 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  215 

that  same  love  of  man  which  was  in  ., 

Unworldli- 

Christ.     And  the  more  truly  we  are  ness  not  in- 

difference 

separate  from  the  world  the  more  de-  toward  man- 
sirous  shall  \Ye  be  of  the  world's  re- 
demption.    This  fact  is  illustrated  in  the  lives  of 
many  devoted  missionaries  while  worldly  Chris- 
tians care  little  for  the  salvation  of  men. 

Separation  from  the  world  is  first  of  all  a  dif- 
ference in   the  temper  and  spirit  of  But  spiritu- 

tuality  of 

life  from  the  worldly  temper  and  purpose  and 
spirit.  The  Christian  seeks  the  glory  ^^  '"^* 
of  God  while  the  world  seeks  the  gratification 
of  self.  The  child  of  God  delights  in  spiritual 
things:  the  world  delights  in  the  pleasures  of 
sense.  The  will  of  Christ  is  supreme  in  the 
life  of  the  chosen  one,  the  will  of  the  flesh  in 
the  life  of  the  world.  The  ambition  of  the 
servant  of  Christ  is  to  grow  in  grace,  and  to  do 
the  Master's  work;  the  world's  ambition  is  to 
amass  wealth  or  learning,  to  win  honor  or  power, 
to  enjoy  life.  The  world  wishes  to  be  minis- 
tered unto  and  looks  at  things  temporal;  the 
heir  of  glory  desires  to  minister  and  looks  at 
things  unseen  and  eternal.  The  world  settles 
itself  down  into  the  present  brief  age,  making 
no  provision  for  the  life  beyond;  the  chosen  one 


216  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

lias  the  pilgrim  spirit,  does  not  fix  himself  firm- 
Heb.  ii:i6.  ly  into  the  environment  of  to-day,  "  desiring  a 
better  country,  that  is  an  heavenly."  All  at- 
tempts to  accommodate  the  vi^orldly  and  the 
Christian  spirit  to  each  other  must  fail.  They 
are  naturally  antagonistic.  Some  Christians 
try  to  establish  an  agreeable  alliance  or  truce 
between  the  two,  but  worldliness  cannot  be 
sanctified  and  spirituality  is  inevitably  chilled 
by  compromise  with  the  world. 

And  this  leads  to  the  thought  that  separation 
And  loyalty  from  the  world  is  a  difference  from 
riitelus!"'*  the  world  in  standards  of  faith  and 
ness.  practice.     The  world  gets  its  religious 

belief  from  its  prejudices,  passions,  and  unaided 
reason.  It  gets  its  standards  of  rights  from  an 
unenlightened  conscience  and  from  considera- 
tions of  expediency,  personal  profit,  and  public 
advantage.  The  Christian  looks  to  the  Word 
of  God  for  truth,  and  to  the  will  of  God  for 
rules  of  practice.  So  far  as  Christianity  is  pure 
it  cannot  be  attractive  to  the  world.  It  has 
come  to  turn  the  world  upside  down.  It  is  a 
fatal  although  a  frequent  mistake  to  attempt  to 
win  the  world  by  letting  Christianity  down  to 
its  level  in  order   to  conciliate  its  favor.     We 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  217 

may  dovetail  a  worldly  life  on  to  a  Christian 
profession  but  God  is  not  mocked  and  man  is 
not  persuaded.  Compromise  will  never  win 
men  to  Christ.  Compromise  is  the  fugitive  in 
the  Siberian  forest  driving  furiously  to  escape 
the  hungry  wolves  and  at  intervals  throwing 
out  its  children  hoping  to  appease  its  ferocious 
pursuers.  You  can  never  give  the  world  enough 
till  it  has  you.  You  may  throw  out  your  prin- 
ciples one  by  one;  there  will  be  but  a  moment- 
ary diversion  and  the  wolves  will  be  on  your 
track  fiercer  than  ever.  Satan  makes  no  more 
plausible  lie  than  that  the  church  can  win  the 
world  fey  falling  in  with  worldly  standards  and 
habits  and  by  accommodating  truth  to  worldly 
opinions.  If  your  lot  is  cast  in  a  worldly  home, 
live  a  devoted  life.  In  society  be  earnest  in  the 
midst  of  frivolity,  simple  and  hearty  in  faith 
before  prevailing  belief.  On  the  street  do 
business  to  the  glory  of  God.  In  an  unspiritual 
church  be  one  of  a  few  to  live  near  to  Christ. 
"Even  in  Sardis!"  A  few  names  even 
in  Sardis,  a  scattering  of  Alpine  flowers 
amid  ice  and  snow,  a  few  pure  lilies  springing 
from  the  mire, — "these  are  mine,"  says  the 
Savior,     "  mine    even     in     Sardis."      Such    is 


Rev.  3:4. 


2lB  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

our  Lord's  loving  recognition  of  those  who  keep 
themselves  unspotted  from  the  world. 

Our  duty  and  our  privilege  consist  not  so 
And  near-  much  in  separating  ourselves  from 
Christ.**  the  world  as  in  keeping  near  to  Christ. 
Instinctively  we  draw  away  from  earthly  ambi- 
tions, amusements,  and  aims  as  we  find  our  de- 
light in  spiritual  things.  The  prodigal  son  did 
not  say  "I  will  tear  myself  away  from  the 
swine,"  but  "  I  will  arise  and  go  to  my  father." 
He  longed  for  the  old  home.  So  soon  as  he 
hungered  for  his  father's  bread  it  needed  no 
effort  for  him  to  abandon  husks.  All  that  the 
chosen  one  has  to  do  is  to  enter  upon  full  pos- 
session of  his  rights  as  an  heir  of  grace.  Then 
he  will  not  cling  to  the  world.  Separation  from 
the  world  will  not  be  difficult.  It  is  said  that 
the  earth  never  comes  between  the  planet  Venus 
and  the  sun.  Therefore  that  planet  always 
shines,  it  is  never  eclipsed.  We  have  only  to 
keep  in  the  light  and  the  world  will  swing  in 
so  distant  an  orbit  that  its  shadow  will  not  be 
cast  upon  us. 

Let  the  Christian  be  fully  persuaded  that  sep- 
aration from  the  world  is  jDower  over  the  world. 
Unconverted  men  despise   a   worldly   religion. 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  219 

A  nominally  Christian  life  conform-  The  victory 
ing  to  earthly  standards  and  practices  comethThe 
encourages  unbelievers  to  continue  world. 
in  sin.  They  argue  that  their  lives  are  as 
good  as  the  Christian's.  Do  not  fear  to  repel 
men  from  Christianity  by  coming  out  from  the 
world  and  being  separate.  The  Christian's  in- 
fluence for  good  is  multiplied  as  he  makes  the 
impression  on  men  that  his  life  is  a  new  life, 
not  of  this  world,  something  far  better  than 
anything  which  the  world  can  produce.  Con- 
trast, difference,  separation, — there  is  our 
hope.  One  life  pitched  in  the  right  key 
gives  the  note  for  all  discordant  lives  within  its 
reach.     How  marked  are  some  of  the  ,     .    . 

Inspired    ex= 

Biblical  proofs  of  this  fact.  For  ex-  apples, 
ample  we  read  in  tlie  sixth  of  Acts,  "  They  chose 
Stephen,  a  man  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  and  then  as  a  result,  "  The  number  of  ^  ^  '^'^* 
the  discii)les  multiplied  in  Jerusalem  greatly." 
Again  in  a  single  verse  we  read  of  Barnabas, 
"  For  he  was  a  good  man,  and  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  of  faith:  and  much  people  was  added 
unto  the  Lord."  There  is  seen  to  be  in  these 
cases  of  Stephen  and  Barnabas  a  close  connec- 
tion between  separateness  from   the  world  and 


Acts  11:24. 


220  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

the  power  to  win  souls.  It  is  the  same  with 
every  disciple  who  has  been  successful  in  lead- 
ing souls  to  Christ.  Do  not  be  over  anxious  to 
make  Christianity  attractive.  The  influence  of 
the  Christian  will  be  felt  for  good  in  proportion 
as  he  makes  on  man  the  impression  w^hich 
Christ  made  that  he  is  not  of  this  world,  that 
his  life  is  separate  from  theirs,  separate  in  its 
motives,  separate  in  its  aims,  separate  in  its  re- 
wards. If  he  gives  them  the  impression  that  he 
lives  for  the  same  ends  which  they  eagerly  pur- 
sue, that  what  satisfies  them  satifies  him,  that 
his  standard  of  right  is  no  higher  than  theirs 
— if  his  manner  of  life  and  of  speech  gives 
them  no  uneasiness  of  conscience,  so  that  they 
never  feel  rebuked  by  his  example,  he  is  not  the 
kind  of  disciple  whom  the  Master  described 
when  he  said,  "  They  are  not  of  the  world,  even 
^  '^'^  '  as  I  am  not  of  the  w^orld."  But  if  he  is  mani- 
festly unlike  worldly  people,  if  he  seems  to  have 
moat  to  eat  which  the  world  knows  not  of,  if  his 
^  aim  is  clearly  not  to  persuade  men  to  like  him 
but  to  win  them  to  Christ,  his  whole  life  will 
be  a  most  eloquent  plea  for  the  religion  which 
he  professes  and  for  the  Master  whom  he  serves. 
Jenny   Lind   was   a   sincere  Christian.     She 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  221 

once  expressed  a  resolve  to  retire  from  the  stage 
on  the  ground  that  the  pursuit  hindered  her 
devotion  to  higher  things.  "  But  you  The  Joyfui- 
owe  your  work  to  the  world,"  pleaded  "nation  from 
a  friend.  "Yet  when  that  work,"  the  world, 
said  the  great  singer  gravely,  "makes  me 
care  little  for  this,"  pointing  to  her  Bible, 
"  it  is  time  to  give  it  up."  The  world  interferes 
with  the  Christian's  joy  and  peace.  Christ  said, 
"  my  joy,"  "  my  peace."  He  distinguishes  thus 
between  worldly  joy  and  jDeace  and  His  own.  John  15:11; 
The  spirit  of  the  world  is  unrest  and  dissatisfac- 
tion. He  who  tries  to  combine  worldiness  with 
Christliness  will  be  most  uncomfortable,  having 
too  much  conscience  to  fully  enjoy  the  world, 
and  too  little  consecration  to  enter  into  the  joy 
and  the  peace  of  Christ.  Just  so  far  as  a 
Christian  is  of  the  world  can  he  be  disturbed 
by  the  world.  The  world  has  something  which 
he  wants,  something  essential  to  his  peace.  He 
cares  for  vvhat  the  world  can  give  and  for  what 
it  can  withhold.  Christ  said,  "  I  have  overcome  john  16:33. 
the  world."  This  placed  Him  above  the  power 
of  trouble,  persecution,  death.  The  toys  and 
baubles  of  the  world  He  despised.  The  Golden 
Rule  He  practised.   The  great  temptation  which 


222  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

comes  to  every  soul  He  met  and  vanquished 
when  Satan  offered  Him  the  whole  world  for  a 
moment's  homage.  Thenceforth  the  world  could 
not  annoy  Him,  nor  molest  His  peace  and  joy. 
His  life  was  not  happy  as  men  count  happiness. 
It  was  dreadfully  out  of  fashion.  Outwardly  it 
was  a  storm.  Yet  to  this  most  unw^orldly  and 
troubled  life  we  go  for  our  perfect  illustration  of 
inward  blessedness.  Verily  he  that  loseth  his 
life  saves  it. 

That  there  are  Christians  who  have  fully  at- 
tained to  a  comxDlete  separation  from  sin  we  have 
their  own  testimony.  It  is  Dr.  A.  J. 
apprehended  Gordon  wlio  writcs,  "  We  do  COU- 
pc'^sibie'^"*  sider  it  possible  that  one  may  experi- 
ence a  great  crisis  in  his  spiritual  life, 
in  which  there  is  such  a  total  self  =  surrender  to 
God  and  such  an  infilling  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  he  is  freed  from  the  bondage  of  sinful  R])- 
petites  and  habits,  and  enabled  to  have  constant 
victory  over  self,  instead  of  suffering  constant 
defeat.  We  doubt  not  that  there  are  Christians 
who  have  yielded  themselves  to  God  in  such  ab- 
solute surrender,  and  who  through  the  uphold- 
ing power  of  the  Spirit  have  been  so  kept  in  that 
condition  of  surrender  that  sin  has  not  had  do- 


SEPARATION  FROM  THE  WORLD  223 

minion  over  them."  Such  testimony  we  have 
no  reason  to  question.  Its  validity  has  abeady 
been  pointed  out  in  the  chapter  upon  the  Bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Other  disciples  must  not  be  disheartened  if 
with  Paul  they  are  compelled  to  acknowledge  pj^.j  ^.^^ 
that  they  have  not  yet  fully  apprehended  that  ^^' 
for  which  Christ  laid  hold  of  them.  A  prisoner 
sits  in  his  cell.  The  jailer  comes  with  a  pardon 
and  opens  the  door.  The  prisoner  steps  out. 
He  is  a  free  man.  He  is  saved.  That  is  Justifi- 
cation. But  is  he  fully  saved?  He  must  work 
out  his  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling.  He 
must  grow  into  good  citizenship)  and  all  the  vir- 
tues. That  is  Sanctification.  But  may  he  not 
be  instantaneously  sanctified?  How  can  we 
doubt  it?  How  can  we  limit  the  power  of  God? 
Meanwhile  we  will  rejoice  in  all  who  are  "  faint, 
yet  pursuing."  Thank  God  for  one  Christian  in 
the  church  whose  heart  glows  with  joy  and 
peace.  We  will  not  lament  over  the  many,  we 
will  rejoice  over  the  few.  If  God  will  send  us 
two  disciples  who  have  held  companionship 
with  Jesus,  and  who  can  testify,  "  Did  not  our 
heart  burn  within  us,  while  He  talked  with  us  '^^'  ^^''^^' 
by  the  way?"  we  will  praise   the  divine   grace 


224  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

which  has  given  to  the  church  this  blessing. 
These  are  the  men  we  want,  men  with  burning 
hearts.  Do  not  fear  the  atheist;  fear  the  worldly 
man  in  the  church.  Do  not  exult  over  large 
statistics  on  the  church  book;  exult  over  the  few 
names,  the  little  band  of  devoted  followers  of 
Christ.  Purity  in  Sardis  means  much.  Sardis 
is  a  hard  place  in  which  to  keep  unspotted  from 
the  world.  But  even  there  Christ  has  His 
faithful  ones.  "They  are  worthy."  O,  to  hear 
Christ  say  that  of  us!  "They  shall  walk  with 
me  in  white.*'  For  such  a  reward  one  might 
leave  all  and  follow  Christ. 


Chapter  XVII. 
HOLY  LIVING. 


The  great  touchstone  of  truth  is  its  tendency  to 
produce  holiness.  — Samuel  Harris. 

How  much  the  more  thou  knowest,  and  how  much 
the  better  thou  understandest,  so  much  the  more  griev- 
ously shalt  thou  therefore  be  judged,  unless  thy  life  also 
be  most  holy.  — Thomas  A'Kempis. 

He  wills  that  I  should  holy  be. 

What  can  resist  that  will? 
The  counsel  of  his  grace  in  me, 
y   He  surely  will  fulfill. 

— Charles  Wesley. 

I  want  to  give  my  witness  that  for  fifty=two  years  I 
have  been  blessed  so  to  walk  with  God  as  never  con- 
sciously to  bring  reproach  upon  the  name  of  Jesus. 

— George  Midler. 

We  believe  that  we,  who  are  by  nature  the  servants 
of  sin,  when  this  same  faith  intervenes,  are  regenerated 
unto  a  new  life.  But  by  this  faith  we  receive  the  grace  of 
living  holily,  while  we  embrace  that  Gospel  promise,  that 
the  Lord  will  give  us  the  Holy  Spirit.  Faith  is,  then,  so 
far  from  extinguishing  the  zeal  for  living  well  and  holily, 
that  it  rather  wakens  and  influences  that  zeal  in  us; 
whence  good  works  do  necessarily  proceed. 

— Confession  of  the  French  Protestant  Church,  1561. 

My  mother's  habit  was  every  day,  immediately  after 
breakfast,  to  withdraw  for  an  hour  to  her  own  room,  and 
to  spend  that  hour  in  reading  the  Bible,  in  meditation 
and   prayer.     From   that  hour,  as   from  a  pure  fountain, 

225 


226  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

she  drew  the  strength  and  sweetness  whicn  enabled  her  to 
fulfill  all  her  duties,  and  to  remain  unruffled  by  the  worries 
and  pettinesses  which  are  so  often  the  trial  of  narrow 
neighborhoods.  As  I  think  of  her  life,  and  all  it  had  to 
bear,  I  see  the  absolute  triumph  of  Christian  grace  in  the 
lovely  ideal  of  a  Christian  lady.  I  never  saw  her  temper 
disturbed;  I  never  heard  her  speak  one  word  of  anger,  of 
calumny,  or  of  idle  gossip;  I  never  observed  in  her  any 
sign  of  a  single  sentiment  unbecoming  to  a  soul  which 
had  drunk  of  the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  and  which  had 
fed  upon  manna  in  the  barren  wilderness. 

— Farrar. 

There  is  a  sense  in  which  a  man  is  to  have  no  will  of 
his  own,  but  there  is  also  a  sense  in  which  he  is  to  be  all 
will.  He  is  to  do  God's  will  with  all  the  power  of  his 
own  will.  — Augustus  H.  Stroyig, 

Holiness — as  I  then  wrote  down  some  of  my  contem- 
plations on  it — appeared  to  me  to  be  of  a  sweet,  calm, 
pleasant,  charming,  serene  nature,  which  brought  an  in- 
expressible purity,  brightness,  peacefulness,  ravishment 
to  the  soul;  in  other  words,  that  it  made  the  soul  like  a 
field  or  garden  of  God,  with  all  manner  of  pleasant  fruits 
and  flowers,  all  delightful  and  undisturbed,  enjoying  a 
sweet  calm  and  the  gentle  vivifying  beams  of  the  sun. 

— Jonathan  Edwards. 


It  has  been  strikingly  pointed  out  that  Bar- 
nabas, who  was  said  to  be  "  a  good  man  and  full 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  was  a  native  of  Cyprus,  so 
famous  for  its  wickedness  that  the  very  name 
"  Cyprian  "  is  still  a  synonym  of  impurity.  As 
the  fairest  flowers  sometimes  spring  from  the 
blackest  ooze  so  some  of  the  most  eminent  of 
God's  servants  are  drawn  from  the  darkest  places 
of  iniquity.  God  exalts  His  electing  grace  and 
illustrates  the  power  of  the  Gospel  by  making 


HOLY  LIVING  227 

the  brightest  saint  out  of  the  foulest  sinner. 
And  every  Christian  is  api)ointed  to  this  end. 
Election  is  not  so  much  a  choice  to  exclusive 
favor  as  a  choice  to  a  special  service. 

The  purpose 

God  needs  human  agents,  witnesses,  ofOodin 
living  epistles  to  be  known  and  read 
of  all  men.     Accordingly  He  chooses  some  in 
whom  His  grace  shall  be  manifested  and  through 
whom  His  kingdom  shall  be  advanced.     Thus 
Paul  tells  the  Romans  that  they  are  "  called  to  Rom.  1:7. 
be  saints,"  examjDles  of   holy   living.      He  de- 
clares to  the  Ephesians   that  they   have  been 
chosen  to  be  "  holy  and  without  blame  before 
him  in  love,"  and  again  that  they  were  "  created     ?o.'  ^'^'^ 
in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works,"  and  exhorts  ^p^-  ^'•^^ 
them   "  that   ye   walk   worthy   of  the   vocation 
wherewith  ye  are  called."    So  also  Peter  reminds 
his  readers  that  they  are  elected  and  sanctified 
"  unto  obedience,"  that  they  are  a  chosen  gene- 

I  Pet  I  "2' 

ration  "  that  ye  should  show  forth  the  praises  of  2:g. 
him  who  hath  called  you  out  of  darkness  into 
his  marvellous  light." 

This  purpose  of  his  adoption  should  ever  be 
in  the  mind  of  the  Christian.     In  the    .    ,      .    . 

An  inspired 

blessed    comfort  of  God's   favor  he  definition 

of  a  true 

should  never  lose  sight  of   the  fact  Christian. 


iPet.i:2. 


228  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

that  the  end  of  his  calling  as  a  saint  is  God's 
glory  and  the  world's  edification.  By  a  consist- 
ent life  he  is  to  "  adorn  the  doctrine."  The  world 
says,  Abandon  doctrine,  it  is  repulsive.  God 
says.  Make  it  beautiful  and  attractive,  adorn  it. 
The  Christian  never  obeys  till  he  is  chosen  and 
sanctified;  he  was  never  chosen  and  sanctified 
unless  he  obeys. 

Pause  for  a  moment  over  the  description  of  a 
true  Christian  as  given  by  Peter  in  the  opening- 
verses  of  his  first  epistle.  "  Elect  according  to 
the  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father,  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedience  and 
sprinkling  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,"  This 
is  a  singularly  complete  portrait  of  the  child  of 
God.  It  begins  with  the  fact  that  God  has 
chosen  him.  He  is  "  elect  according  to  the  fore- 
knowledge of  God  the  Father."  Here  is  the 
groundwork  of  the  picture.  Next  comes  the 
Christian's  growth  in  grace.  "  Through  sancti- 
fication of  the  Spirit."  Then  follows  the  out- 
ward manifestation  of  the  inner  life  in  the 
disciple's  faithful  service.  "  Unto  obedience." 
And  finally  his  eternal  salvation  is  assured  in 
the  atoning  blood  of  Christ.  "  And  sprinkling 
of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ."     Thus  we  have 


HOLY  LIVING  229 

the  Christian's  life  depicted  in  its  origin,  its 
power,  its  fruits,  its  seal.  Mark  the  complete- 
ness of  the  picture.  Chosen,  sanctified,  obe- 
dient, sprinkled.  Mark  the  symmetry  of  the 
description.  On  the  one  side  the  counsel  and 
co==operation  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Whomsoever 
the  Father  elects,  the  Spirit  sanctifies,  and  the 
Son  redeems.  On  the  other  side  the  sure  re- 
sponse of  the  human  recipient  of  this  grace. 
Chosen,  sanctified,  sprinkled,  he  will  surely  be 
obedient.  This  is  the  Spirit's  own  conception 
of  the  child  of  God.  It  is  God's  purpose  to 
transform  His  chosen  ones  into  this  likeness. 

Holy  living  is  the  gift  of  God  and  is  secured 
throue^h  adoption.    The  Bible  teaches 

^  ^  I.  Holy  Liv- 

that  we  are  saved  by  grace.     What  is  ing  not  an 

it  to  be  saved?     Primarily  to  be  res-  but  a  be- 

cued,  to  be  delivered  from  the  pen-  ^^«^"»«"t- 

alty  and  the  power  of  sin.     But  salvation  is  a 

large  work.     It  covers  the  whole  nature  and  life. 

Man  is  not  only  saved  from  sin,  he  is  saved  to 

holiness.     Salvation  does  more  for  a  man  than 

to  snatch  him  out  of  the  fire.     Christ  recovers 

for  Himself  what  He  rescues.      He  does  not  ^^^•3:13.14- 

ransom  us  and  let  us  go.     He  ransoms  us  back  John  17:1.2. 

into  His  own  rights  over  us.     He  releases  us 


Rom.  14:9, 


230  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

from  bondage  to  restore  us  to  His  service.  Sal- 
vation is,  therefore,  the  fulfilment  of  our  whole 
destiny  as  the  children  of  God.  That  destiny  is 
likeness  to  Christ.  God  takes  the  chosen  one 
in  hand  to  make  him  perfect  and  complete  and 
fit  for  the  companionship  of  heaven.  Salvation 
is  a  process  and  salvation  is  a  bestowment. 
Accordingly  the  insi)ired  Word  says,   "  For  by 

Eph.  2:8.  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith;  and  that  not 
of  yourselves:  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  You 
are  saved — saved  from  hell,  saved  from  sin,  saved 

Eph  2-9  ^^^^o  holy  living,  but  "not  of  works  lest  any 
man  should  boast."  Your  self=attained  good- 
ness does  not  save  you.  And  j^et  if  you  are 
saved  you  will  live  a  holy  life.  By  what  power? 
Your  own?  Not  so — lest  any  man  should  boast. 
The  grace  which  chose  you  will  make  you  holy. 
"  For  we  are  his  workmanship,  created  in  Christ 

^p  .  2:10.  jgg^g  ^i^to  good  works,  which  God  hath  before 
ordained  that  we  should  walk  in  them."  The 
believer  is  God's  creation,  not  only  in  conver- 
sion, but  in  all  divine  virtues  and  graces.  He 
is  not  chosen  of  God  and  then  left  to  achieve 
righteousness.  He  is  "  chosen  to  be  a  saint," 
and  the  grace  wdiich  chose  him  will  fashion  him 
into  the  likeness  of  Christ. 


HOLY  LIVING  231 

From  this  it  appears  how  unscriptural  it  is  to 
speak  of  the  believer's  reliance  upon 

^        ^  An  incentive 

electing  grace  as  being  hostile  to  to  good 
holy  living.  It  is  sometimes  said 
that  although  we  are  chosen  we  must  neverthe- 
less strive  to  lead  right  lives.  This  is  a  most 
lamentable  anti^climax.  Think  of  a  military 
captain  who  should  call  forth  a  band  of  xjicked 
men  to  storm  a  fort,  and  after  inspiring  them 
with  the  thought  that  they  are  the  chosen  ones 
of  the  army,  should  add, "  And  yet — althoagh  you 
have  been  thus  honored,  you  must  do  your 
duty,  and  obey  orders,  and  fight  well."  On  the 
contrary,  Ije  would  say  in  substance,  "  Soldiers, 
you  have  been  selected  for  this  great  enterprise 
because  you  are  equal  to  it.  On  to  victory!" 
Thus  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  v/ho  sees  the 
future,  and  who  can  make  us  conquerors,  sum- 
mons us  to  the  conflict,  and  His  call  is  the  guar- 
antee of  our  triumph.  Therefore  the  more  fully 
we  rely  on  His  choice  of  us  the  more  complete 
will  be  His  work  of  grace  in  our  hearts.  This 
fact  is  illustrated  in  the  lives  of  the  most  de- 
vout of  God's  children  in  all  ages.  It  is  a  sing- 
ular fact  that  the  charge  which  the  world  is 
ever  bringing  against  those  Christians  who  most 


232  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

utterly  cast  tlieni selves  on  the  grace  of  God  is 
not  a  charge  of  laxity  in  living  but  of  over  strict- 
ness. Who,  for  instance,  were  stigmatized  as 
Puritans — purists  in  their  conduct?  The  strong- 
est advocates  of  efficacious  grace.  Where  are 
"  Puritanical "  people,  those  who  are  too  rigid 
in  their  morals — to  be  found  to-day?  Certainly 
aaiong  the  devout  believers  in  the  personal  call 
and  the  sustaining  grace  of  God.  The  more 
firmly  a  believer  is  convinced  that  God  has 
chosen  him  out  of  the  world,  the  more  surely 
will  he  be  separate  from  the  world  and  main- 
tain a  daily  walk  with  God. 

Is  it  objected   that  we  shall  be  tempted  to  re- 
A     Kj^.*-^^  lax  our  efforts  to  live  holy  lives  if   we 

An  objection  '^ 

answered.  ^re  Confident  of  our  election?  That 
objection  occurred  to  Paul.  In  his  own  person 
he  was  the  best  answer  to  the  cavil,  the  most 
ardent  believer  in  election  living  the  holiest 
life.  But  he  answered  the  objection.  His  reply 
is  in  the  first  half  of  Komans  VI.  What  does 
he  say?  That  we  must  not  carry  our  faith  in 
electing  grace  too  far  and  so  abuse  the  doctrine? 
Not  at  all.  He  says  that  the  threatened  catas= 
trophe  is  simply  impossible.  A  man  cannot  sin- 
cerely  rest   in    the   doctrine   and    neglect    the 


HOLY  LIVING  233 

duties.  Adoption  means  death  to  sin,  and 
"  How  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any 
longer  therein?"  In  other  words  the  chosen 
one  has  received  life  from  God,  and  that  inner 
life  will  surely  manifest  itself  in  holy  living.  A 
person  may  "  continue  in  sin,  "  but  such  sinful- 
ness only  proves  that  his  belief  in  his  adoption 
is  a  mistake.  If  one  is  truly  chosen  of  God  his 
reliance  upon  the  grace  which  chose  him  can 
only  give  him  incentive  and  strength  to  live 
worthy  of  his  high  calling,  can  only  stimulate 
fresh  reliance  upon  that  grace  for  continuing  in 
him  the  divine  work  begun. 

Holy  Living  calls  for  constant  vigilance  and 
strenuous  endeavor  on  the  part  of   the  believer. 
There   is   no    contradiction   between  ^^    ^^^^y 
this   proposition   and   the  preceding,   'ivingcaiis 

^      ^  ^  ^      for  the  exer- 

Paul   puts  the   two   into  a   sentence  cise  of  the 

T-.1   •!•        •  believer's 

when    he    says   to    the   Philippians,   highest 
"  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  p^^®**^- 
fear  and  trembling.     For  it  is  God   which  work-   phii.2:i2.i3. 
eth    in  you  both  to  will   and  to  do  of  his  good 
pleasure. "    And  this  apostle  who  of  all  inspired 
writers  exalts  most  highly  the  grace  of   God  in- 
sists  most    earnestly  on   the   responsibility  of 
man.     The  believer's   salvation   is   already   ac- 


234  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

complislied  for  him  yet  he  is  to  work  it  out. 
God  works  in  him  to  will,  moving  his  mind  to 
right  choices,  thus  securing  practical  obedience, 
and  yet  he  is  to  exert  his  will  and  to  strive  to 
choose  the  right.  God  saves  you  —therefore 
strive  for  salvation.  God  gives  you  life — there- 
fore take  care  of  that  life.  These  opposites  are 
harmonized  in  daily  experience.  "  These  two 
mighty  pillars  on  which  all  morality  and  all 
religion  repose  have  their  foundations  down 
deep  in  our  nature  and  tower  up  beyond  our 
sight.  They  seem  to  stand  opjDosite  to  each  oth- 
er, but  it  is  only  as  the  strong  piers  of  some  tall 
arch  are  opposed.  Beneath  they  repose  on  one 
foundation,  above  they  spring  together  in  the 
completing  keystone,  and  bear  the  whole  steady 
structure."  Unreserved  reliance  upon  God's 
grace  so  far  from  relaxing  the  believer's  efforts 
stimulates  him  to  strenuous  endeavor  in  holy 
living. 

There   are   several   reasons   for  this      In  the 

first    place,    faith    in    saving    grace 

?uii>idt"''"    addressess   the  believer's    gratitude. 

prompts         Qod  has  chosen  him  in  his  unworthi- 

to  obedience. 

ness  and  sin.     Undeserved  spiritual 
mercies  have  been  granted  him.       Within  him 


HOLY  LIVING  235 

great  hopes  and  heavenly  expectations  have 
been  awakened.  He  has  received  ''  beauty  for 
ashes,  the  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  the  garment  isa.  61:3. 
of  praise  for  the  spirit  of  heaviness.  "  His  under- 
standing has  been  opened  to  the  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus.  God  has  put  a  new  song  in  his  heart. 
Christ  has  called  him  friend.  What  can  he  do 
in  return?  He  can  live  to  the  honor  of  his 
Maker.  He  can  forsake  the  sin  which  grieves 
hig  Savior.  He  can  do  but  little,  yet  that  little 
will  be  accepted.  Every  blessing  prompts  him 
to  live  a  holy  life.  The  more  utterly  he  sur- 
renders himself  to  the  thought  that  his  salvation 
is  all  of  grace  the  m^ore  eager  and  steadfast  will 
be  his  service.  His  daily  question  will  be, 
What  shall  I  render  unto  the   Lord  for  all  his 

Ps.  116:12. 

benefits  toward  me? 

Again,   the    consciousness   of  being    chosen 

unto    obedience     awakens    the  be-  ^  Honor= 

liever's  sense   of  honor.       Grod  has  af'Je  dealing 

with  God 

named  him  as  an  heir  of  glory;  he  is  involves 
bound  to  live  as  such.     Thus  Paul 
appeals  to  the  self-respect  of  the  Ephesians.    In 
three    burning     chapters    he     sets    forth    the 
gracious  purpose  of  God  in  calling  them.     Then 
in  the  first  verse  of  the  fourth  chapter  he  comes 


236  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

upon  them  with  that  searching  word  "  worthy.  " 
"  Lead  a  worthy  life.  Do  not  dishonor  such  a 
vocation.  "  Every  Christian  feels  the  force  of 
this  appeal.  Manhood  and  womanhood  feel  it. 
A  worldly,  selfish,  frivolous  life  dishonors  the 
man  or  the  woman  who  is  chosen  of  God.  It 
discredits  the  cause  of  religion.  It  brings  re- 
proach upon  the  church  of  Christ.  It  obscures 
the  glory  of  Christ  himself.  No  honorable 
person  will  claim  to  be  a  Christian  and  lead  a 
worldly  life. 

Faith  in  saving  grace  addressess  the  believer's 
courage  and  self-reliance.  As  his  assurance  of 
personal  adoption  deepens  his  con- 
b'eiiever's  fidcnce  in  liis  power  to  obey  strength- 
securit*  ^^^*  -^^  chosen  to  bear  fruit  he  can 
begets  bear  fruit.     Had  he  chosen  Christ  he 

confidence. 

might  doubt  his  ability  to  carry  out 
his  purpose.  But  Christ  chose  him,  knowing 
his  failings,  his  talents,  his  aptitudes.  Christ 
chose  him  and  ordained  him  to  go  and  bring 
forth  fruit.  But  Christ's  judgment  is  infal- 
lible. Therefore  the  believer  gains  confidence. 
He  must  be  able  to  do  what  God  selected  him 
to  do.  Thus  the  true  source  of  courage  and  assur- 
ance  in  holy  living  is  absolute  faith  in  God's 


HOLY  LIVING  237 

electing  grace.  It  is  recorded  of  Dr.  A.  J. 
Gordon  that  at  one  time  in  his  religious  life  he 
"  gave  up  trying  and  found  peace  in  trusting." 
Once  more,  a  vivid  sense  of  being  chosen  of 
God  stimulates   the   believer's  ambi- 

d.  The  high- 

tion  to  fulfil  God's  purpose   and  ex-  est  aspira- 
pectation.       That  is   a   noble   senti-  by  faith  in 
ment  of    Paul   where    he    expresses  ^^^^"^ 
his  determination  to  apprehend  that 
for  which  he  was  ax^prehended  of   Christ  Jesus.  Phil,  s'-iz. 
The  Lord  had  laid  hold  of  him  for   a   certain 
purpose.     "Let  me  lay  hold  of   that  very   pur- 
pose on  account  of  which  Christ  Jesus  laid  hold 
of  me.  "     As  if  you  were  to  apprehend   a   neg- 
lected boy   on  the   street,  were  to  lay  hold  of 
him  and  educate  him  that  he  might  become  a 
useful  man,  and  he,  like  a  young  Paul,  were  to 
say,  "I  will  not  disappoint   my  benefactor.     I 
will  follow  after,  if  that  I  may  apprehend  that 
usefulness  for  which  I  was  apprehended  of  my 
friend. "     Christ  lays  hold  of  us  that  our  lives 
may  bear  witness  to  the  power  of  His  grace.    He 
expects  great  things  of  His  chosen  ones.     The 
knowledge    that    He    has     "  ordained "    them 
to    lead    holy    lives    will    spur    them    on    to 
fulfil  his  plan.     Whitefield  once  said,   "  I   pray 


John  14:15. 


238  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

to  God  this  day  to  make  me  an  extraordinary 
Christian.  "  It  is  extraordinary  Christians  that 
this  sinful  world  needs,  Christians  who  rise 
above  the  common  levels  of  religious  experience 
and  living.  The  thought  that  Christ  has  drawn 
the  outline  of  our  lives  inspires  us  to  fill  it  in. 
''I  follow  after  if  that  I  may  apprehend." 
There  is  a  joyous  bound  and  spring  in  the  very 
words.  I  am  not  pursuing  my  plan  but  Christ's 
plan  for  me.  One  step  to-day,  another  to- 
morrow. And  when  at  last  I  reach  the  end  it 
will  be  enough  for  me  to  hear  one  word  of 
approval,  one  look  or  sign  to  tell  me  that  I  have 
in  some  degree  apprehended  that  for  which  He 
apprehended  me. 

The  practical  life  is  the  fruit  of  the  spiritual, 
in   Hoi  -^^  Peter's  picture  of  the  Christian, 

living  above     mentioned,    adoption     comes 

attained 

through  the  first,  then  sanctification,  then  obedi- 
the  inner  dicncc.  "  Elect  according  to  the 
religious  life,  foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father, 
through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto  obedi- 
ence." We  cannot  reverse  this  process.  The 
Father  must  choose,  and  the  Spirit  must  con- 
vert before  the  sinner  can  obey.  "  If  ye  love 
me  keep  my  commandments."     There  is  no  true 


HOLY  LIVING  239 

commandment  keeping  which  does  not  spring 
from  love.  God's  law  cannot  be  fulfilled  by 
merely  doing  certain  things.  "  I  will  put  my  Hebg.jo 
laws  into  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their 
hearts."  Obedience  is  something  which  takes 
IDlace  in  the  heart.  Dr.  Chalmers  tells  us  that 
before  his  conversion  he  was  wont  to  press  upon 
his  people  the  duty  of  reformation  of  life,  "  but 
I  never  once  heard  of  any  such  reformation 
having  been  effected  among  them,  It  was  not 
till  I  took  the  Scriptural  way  of  laying  the 
method  of  reconciliation  before  them  that  I 
ever  heard  of  any  of  those  subordinate  refor- 
mations." 

The  mind  must  be  right  before  the  hands  can 
do  right.  "  This  is  the  work  of  God,  that  ye  be- 
lieve on  him  whom  he  hath  sent."  Practice  re- 
flects belief.  Conduct  is  but  an  index  of  what 
is  going  on  within.  It  is  the  soul  that  obeys. 
The  sunbeam  is  not  the  sun;  behavior  is  not 
obedience.  Obedience  is  the  whole  nature 
brought  into  captivity  to  Christ.  He  likened 
holy  living  to  fruit,  and  said:  "  Make  the  tree 
good."  Correct  conduct  with  no  righteous  mo-  ^^^*"  ^^■^^• 
tive  behind  it,  is  like  fair  fruit  tied  to  a  dead 
tree. 


Ps  51:10,  12. 


240  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

This  appears  if  we  take  holy  living  in  its  sim- 
(a)  Seen  plest  form,  the  doing  those  deeds 
'"  **^^  which     conscience     approves.       The 

common  ^-"^ 

moralities.  Christian  should  be  an  example  in 
the  homely  virtues.  He  should  be  conspicu- 
ously honest,  patient,  truthful,  reliable,  brave. 
He  should  pay  his  debts  and  control  his  tem- 
per, and  put  a  bridle  on  his  tongue.  In  busi- 
ness he  should  be  upright,  in  benevolence  he 
should  be  liberal,  a  kind  neighbor,  a  sympa- 
thetic friend,  a  public^spirited  citizen.  Chris- 
tianity aims  to  outstrip  the  world  in  the  com- 
mon excellencies,  to  meet  the  w^orld  on  its  own 
chosen  level,  and  to  surpass  it  in  attainments  of 
character  which  even  irreligious  men  admire 
and  praise.  It  is  a  reproach  to  any  believer  if 
worldly  people  excel  him  in  integrity,  generosi- 
ty, brotherly  kindness,  self  =  control,  or  any  of 
the  ordinary  elements  of  good  character.  The 
source  of  his  deficiency  is  within.  He  needs 
the  clean  heart,  the  right  spirit,  for  which 
David  prayed.  The  fruit  must  be  made  good 
by  making  the  tree  good.  If  our  lives  are  out- 
wardly wrong,  there  is  evil  within.  We  must 
go  to  the  sources  of  action  and  purify  them. 
Moreover    the  need   of  spiritual   quickening 


HOLY  LIVING  241 

appears  when  we  consider  Christian   ,^^.  ^j^^ 
service    as    a    part    of    holy    livinp^.   Ho'ySpiHt 

^  .  *or  service. 

Every  believer  is  chosen  of  God  with 
a  view  to  some  work  in  the  great  vineyard. 
Talents  are  ''  apprehended  of  Christ  Jesus."  If 
he  is  to  be  a  "  good  and  faithful  servant,"  his 
communion  with  God  must  be  maintained. 
Many  church  members  are  doing  no  work  for 
Christ.  Many  are  doing  work  which  has  no 
religion  in  it;  "  all  their  piety  below  their  el- 
bows," as  Dr.  Bushnell  expressed  it,  so  that 
"  church  work "  has  come  to  mean  oyster  sup- 
pers, pink  teas,  broomstick  drills,  and  the  like. 
Some  workers  take  part  in  the  labors  of  the 
church  so  long  as  they  can  be  conspicuous 
and  have  their  way.  Offended  by  some  trifle, 
or  failing  of  applause,  they  go  moodily  away. 
On  the  other  hand  there  are  the  good  and  faith- 
ful servants.  They  feel  that  the  work  of 
Christ's  church  is  a  spiritual  work.  They  seek 
the  good  of  souls.  They  pray  in  secret.  They 
teach  in  the  Sunday=school  with  a  religious 
purpose.  They  are  found  habitually  at  the 
prayer^meeting.  They  make  sacrifices  for  the 
kingdom  of  Christ.  What  is  the  difference  be- 
tween these  two  classes?     A  difference  in  spir- 


I  Cor.  10:31 


242  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

itiial  life.  Nearness  to  God  is  the  secret  of 
faithful  Christian  service.  A  great  deal  of 
church  bustle  and  parade  may  be  manufac- 
tured with  no  spirituality  behind  it.  If  the 
kingdom  of  God  is  to  come,  the  members  of 
the  body  of  Christ  must  abide  in  Him. 

But  no  true  believer  is  satisfied  with  holy 
living  which  concerns  only  the  conduct.  Every 
act  has  a  motive.  Behind  every  deed  there  is  a 
purpose.  Holy  living  includes  the  secret  springs 

of  action.  Motives  are  kept  holy  by 
Intents  of       neamcss  to  God.     Paul  exhorts  us  to 

eat  and  to  drink  to  God's  glory.  Com- 
mon duties  may  be  aglow  with  holiness.  Right 
deeds  may  be  done  from  right  motives  and  with 
right  purposes.  A  worshipper  drops  a  dollar 
into  the  treasury  of  the  Lord.  Christ  is  the 
great  mind  reader  and  knows  his  thoughts. 
That  offering  may  add  to  his  condemnation  at 
last,  or  it  may  come  up  in  sweet  remembrance 
before  God.  Do  not  mistake  pious  behavior 
for  holy  living.  Why  do  we  do  right?  To 
maintain  a  reputation?  To  please  ourselves? 
God  sees  the  heart.  An  act?  No  man  sees  it 
except  in  the  dimmest  way.  An  act  is  the  whole 
soul  acting.     The  entire  character  is  in  it,  the 


HOLY  LIVING  243 

secret  thought,  the  inner  being.  What  man 
sees  is  apx3earance.  The  reality  is  behind. 
Therefore  the  heart  must  be  purified.  Let  the 
Christian  who  would  keep  his  motives  pure 
abide  in  Christ. 

Holy  living  is  the  best  return  we  can  make  to 
Him  who  has  chosen  us,  and  the  most  eloquent 
way  of  preaching   truth  to  the  world. 
Christ  said,  "  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  HvinB- 

"       *^    ^  Mat.  15:14. 

world."    Catching  the  significance  of  ^^^^''"^''^ 
this  illustration  John  Newton   said,   persuades 

man. 

"  I  cannot  sweep  the  darkness  out 
but  I  can  shine  it  out.  "  It  was  Christ  who  told 
us  to  do  4;he  truth.  Truth  is  something  to  be 
done.  A  doctrine  is  first  to  be  believed  and  then 
practised.  The  world  does  not  read  the  Bible: 
it  reads  Christians.  We  sometimes  hear  the 
remark,  "I  greatly  enjoy  Dr.  Blank's  preach- 
ing. "  Preaching  may  be  enjoyed.  It  may  also 
be  reproduced  in  daily  life.  The  thoughtful 
hearer  on  leaving  the  church  was  met  by  a  late 
comer  with  the  inquiry,  "Is  the  sermon  done?" 
'•Not  done — only  preached."  The  most  elo- 
quent and  influential  preaching  comes  from  a 
joyous,  faithful,  Christian  life.  Is  the  world  to 
mold  the  church  or  the  church  the  world?    It 


2  Cor.  3:2,3. 


2U  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

depends  upon  the  life  of  the  disciples  of  Christ. 
The  world  will  not  long  believe  in  a  religion 
which  does  not  ennoble  character.  Unbelievers 
have  an  intuitive  sense  that  Christians  should 
live  holy  lives.  ResiDCct  that  sentiment.  So 
live  that  no  man  may  stumble  over  your  incon- 
sistencies into  ruin.  Do  not  hide  behind  the 
excuse  that  the  inconsistencies  of  Christians 
prove  nothing  against  the  truth  of  religion.  It 
is  indeed  poor  occupation  for  any  immortal  be- 
ing, unreconciled  to  God,  to  carp  at  the  sins  of 
Christians  and  to  make  a  religion  out  of  a  sneer. 
And  yet  if  Christianity  is  what  it  claims  to  be  it 
should  make  its  votaries  Christlike.  Holy  liv- 
ing on  the  part  of  Christians  would  preach  the 
Gospel  to  every  creature.  "  Ye  are  our  epistle," 
said  Paul  to  the  Corinthians,  "known  and  read 
of  all  men:  Forasmuch  as  ye  are  manifestly  de- 
clared to  be  the  ejjistle  of  Christ  ministered 
by  us. "  A  noble  sentiment.  The  credit  both 
of  the  human  teacher  and  of  the  divine  Master 
was  in  their  keeping.  All  men  in  wicked  Corinth 
would  read  and  know  them,  and  by  their  lives 
judge  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Thank  God, 
there  are  thousands  of  faithful  ones  in  the 
household  of  faith  who  are  honoring  Christ  by 


HOLY  LIVING  24:5 

their  holy  living  and  are  thus  proclaiming  the 
truth  to  dying  men.  Let  us  who  are  chosen 
ones  live  unto  God.  Our  lives  speak  more 
loudly  than  our  words.  Light  travels  faster 
than  sound.  The  flash  of  our  example  reaches 
the  world  before  the  report  of  our  profession. 
A  famous  artist  once  wandering  in  the  moun- 
tains of  Switzerland  met  some  officials  who  de- 
manded his  passport.  '•  It  is  not  with  me  but 
my  name  is  Dor6.  "  "  Prove  it,  if  you  are,  "  re- 
plied the  incredulous  officers.  Taking  a  piece 
of  paper  Dor6  hastily  sketched  a  group  of  peas- 
ants standing  by  with  such  grace  and  skill  that 
the  meru  of  the  law  exclaimed,  "  Enough,  you 
must  be  Dore. "  "  Write  your  name,  "  is  the 
challenge  of  the  world  to  the  follower  of  Christ. 
No  awkward  scrawl  of  a  worldly  life  will  do. 
Nothing  but  the  grace  and  beauty  of  a  charac- 
ter born  of  God  will  convince  men  that  our  pro- 
fession is  true. 


Chapter  XVIII. 
THE   BASIS    OF  CHRISTIAN    UNITY 


One  family — we  dwell  in  him — 

One  church,  above,  beneath. 
Though  now  divided  by  the  stream, 

The  narrow  stream  of  death. 

— Charles  Wesley. 

It  is  said  that  the  centrifugal  forces  are  growing 
weaker  throughout  the  universe  and  the  centripetal  forces 
continually  stronger.  Whether  or  not  this  be  true  in  as- 
tronomy proper  I  know  not,  but  I  am  sure  that  it  is  true 
in  that  astronomy  which  begins  and  ends  in  the  Star  of 
Bethlehem.  — A.  J.  Gordon. 

It  is  a  pleasant  thought,  and  one  over  which  we  can 
more  profitably  linger  than  we  do,  that  all  those  who,  in 
this  appointed  way,  accept  the  crucified  and  risen  Master 
as  a  divine  and  atoning  Savior,  compose  one  great  family. 
It  is  the  family  of  God  the  Father,  the  family  of  which 
Christ  is  the  dear  and  loving  elder  brother,  and  of  which 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Enlightener,  Comforter  and  Guide. 
"  One  in  Christ!"  how  tenderly  and  how  grandly  these  words 
describe  the  indissoluble  union  of  the  believer  with  the 
Lord,  and  the  blessedness  of  the  heavenly  family  of  which 
the  true  Christian  family  on  earth  is  but  the  faintly  fore- 
shadowing type.  — The  Interior. 

We  love  the  evangelicals  because  they  love  our  Lord. 

— Pusey. 

Unless  all  past  experience  be  a  delusion,  the  church 
can  never  be  reunited  on  the  basis  of  any  claim  or  preten- 
sion which  is  the  exclusive  possession  of  any  one  of  the 
branches — especially  if  it  be  a  principle,  which,  like  the 

246 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  247 


papacy,  the  apostolic  succession,  or  the  necessity  of  any 
one  mode  of  baptism,  involves  the  refusal  of  church  rights 
to  other  denominations.  Spiritual  union  must  precede 
external  unity.  When  our  theology,  our  preaching  and 
our  Uvea  say  that  Christ  is  our  all  in  all  then  we  shall 
meet  and  flow  together.  — Henry  B.  Smith. 

With  all  this  segregation,  the  answer  given  by  the 
four  hundred  and  fifty  millions  to  the  question,  What  is 
the  Gospel?  is  still  the  same.  W^ith  exceptions  so  slight 
that  we  may  justly  set  them  out  of  the  reckoning,  the  re- 
ply is  still  the  same  that  it  was  in  the  apostolic  age. — the 
central  truth  of  the  Gospel  lies  in  the  Trinity  and  the 
Incarnation,  in  the  God  that  made  us  and  the  Saviour 
that  redeemed  us.  When  I  consider  what  human  nature 
and  human  history  have  been,  and  how  feeble  is  the  spirit 
in  its  warfare  with  the  flesh,  I  bow  my  head  in  amaze- 
ment before  this  mighty  moral  miracle,  this  marvellous 
concurrence  evolved  from  the  very  heari;  of  discord. 

— Gladstone. 

I  never  could  regard  the  differences  of  the  truly  godly 
as  essential;  and  though  I  have  had  my  convictions  and 
preferences,  they  were  never  anathematizing  or  exclusive. 
And  I  could' have  communed  with  any  of  their  churches, 
and  should  not  have  been  sorry  if  circumstances  had  en- 
abled me  to  say  I  had  done  so. 

— William  Jay, 

The  mischief  is  that  so  many  persons  imagine  we 
cannot  have  unity  unless  we  have  uniformity.  Lay  down 
the  fundamental  doctrine  that  uniformity  is  man's  trick — 
unity  is  God's  purpose.  Yes,  there  are  many  regiments 
but  one  army;  many  denominations  but  one  church; 
many  creeds  but  one  faith;  many  aspects  but  one  life; 
many  ways  up  the  hill  but  one  cross  at  the  top  of  it. 
Do  not  lose  yourself  among  the  diversities  when  you 
might  save  yourself  by  looking  at  the  unities  *  *  * 
Some  sections  of  the  church  are  nothing  apart  from  their 
distinctiveness.  Not  where  they  are  like  others  but 
where  they  are  unlike  or  individual  their  genius  and 
their  power  begin.  All  men  could  not  be  Congregational- 
ists,  nor  could  all  men  be  Presbyterians,  or  Episcopalians. 
I  believe  in  all  sects  that  are  honest;  grace,  mercy,  and 
peace  be  to  them,  yea,  to  all  them  that  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity.  — Joseph  Parker. 


Eph.  3:15. 


^48  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

You  are  not  to  have  any  toleration  which  is  founded 
on  indifference.     This  truth  I  would  build  high  as  heaven. 

— Henry  Ward  Beecher. 

By  the  candlesticks  being  seven  instead  of  one,  as  in 
the  tabernacles,  we  are  taught  that  whereas  in  the  Jewish 
dispensation  God's  visible  church  was  one,  in  the  Gentile 
dispensation  there  are  many  visible  churches  ;  and  that 
Christ  Himself  recognizes  them  alike. 

— Canon  Garrett. 

All  classes  of  Christians  find  that  sectarian  rancor 
soon  dies  out  when  they  are  working  together  among  and 
for  the  real  heathen. 

— David  Livingstone. 

A  man  who  went  up  in  a  balloon  said  that  when  he 
rose  the  fences  that  divided  the  country  into  fields  and 
farms  faded  out,  until  soon  he  saw  only  one  great,  wide, 
beautiful  landscape  of  meadow  and  field  and  forest,  with 
river  and  stream  shining  in  rich  loveliness  beneath  the 
pure  skies.  So  it  is  as  we  rise  nearer  to  God  in  love  and 
faith  and  Christian  experience.  The  fences  that  divide 
God's  great  church  into  ecclesiastical  fields  and  farms 
fade  out,  until  at  last  they  vanish  altogether,  and  we  see 
only  one  wide,  holy,  Christly  Church. 

— Eaton. 

When  a  soul  is  born  again  it  is  born  into  a 
Unity  estab=  family.  Not  by  its  own  act  but  by 
n!!l^;l+hJ  r^  the  act  of  God  it  is  ushered  into  the 

Uod  in  the  act 

of  adoption,  household  of  faith.  All  that  is 
needed  to  secure  unity  is  that  Christians  should 
yield  themselves  wholly  to  the  Holy  Spirit. 
They  would  then  be  made  one  spiritually,  as  they 
were  made  one  physically,  by  creative  act.  In 
Christ  we  do  not  choose  our  spiritual  kindred 


2  Tim.  2:19. 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  249 

We  may  deny  them,  we  may  hold  aloof  from  them. 
Christians  have  even  been  known  to  so  far  for- 
get their  vocation  as  to  decide  who  are  and  who 
are  not  members  of  the  body  of  Christ.  Never- 
theless the  foundation  of  God  standeth  sure. 
The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His.  All 
true  believers  are  one  in  Christ.  Christian 
unity  is  created  in  the  very  fact  of  the  com- 
mon adoption  of  the  disciples  of  Christ.  They 
may  violate  this  unity  or  deny  it.  But  they 
can  no  more  destroy  oneness  in  Christ  than 
they  can  change  the  physical  fact  that  God  has 
made  all  people  of  one  blood. 

It  is  of  great  importance  that  this  unity 
should  be  recos^nized  and  fostered  by  "^^^^  should 

...  .       wnitybe 

Christians.  The  chief  reason  for  this  cultivated? 
is  that  our  Saviour  prayed  for  it.  Many  bless-  John  17:11 
ings  which  the  church  greatly  needs  are  not 
mentioned  in  the  reported  prayers  of  our  Lord. 
That  he  petitioned  for  this  blessing  of  unity  not 
once  but  several  times  in  one  short  jprayer  re- 
veals how  greatly  He  desires  it  and  how  essential 
it  is  to  the  life  of  His  church. 

Also  to  the  power  of  His  church.  Unity 
makes  a  deep  impression  upon  the  world. 
Christ  prays   for   such     oneness     among     His 


John  17:23. 


Numb. 24:5. 


250  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

disciples  that  the  world  may  see  it,  "that  the 
world  may  know  that  thou  hast  sent  me." 
If  Christians  are  manifestly  one  in  Christ 
the  witnessing  value  of  such  union  is  incal- 
culable. It  testifies  to  all  the  world  that 
Christ  is  indeed  king  over  his  followers  and 
that  the  love  of  God  triumphs  in  their  mutual 
love.  In  this  respect  Balaam,  the  son  of  Beor, 
represents  the  world.  In  his  vision  He  beheld 
Israel  abiding  in  tents  according  to  their  tribes, 
and  exclaimed,  "  How  goodly  are  thy  tents,  O 
Jacob;  and  thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel!"  Hea- 
thenism to-day  could  not  withstand  the  argu- 
ment of  a  united  Israel. 

Morever  unity  strengthens  the  inner  life  of 
the  church.  Charity  edifieth.  I  am  a  better 
man  for  loving  my  Christian  brother.  I  come 
nearer  to  Christ  in  drawing  nearer  to  his  friends. 
Embracing  in  my  affections  all  for  whom  He 
died,  my  sympathies  are  enlarged,  my  views  of 
His  kingdom  are  broadened,  my  whole  spiritual 
nature  is  quickened  and  I  grow  in  grace.  On 
the  other  hand  dissensions  and  estrangements 
among  the  followers  of  Christ  react  disastrously 
upon  the  life  of  the  church.  Religious  experi- 
ence  becomes   contracted    and    si)iritual  pride 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  251 

springs  up  in  any  company  of  believers  who 
live  within  themselves.  Enlarge  the  horizon. 
Have  a  church  home  and  love  that  home  but  let 
it  be  allied  with  the  homes  of  all  God's  people. 
"  Walk  about  Zion.  and  go  round  about  her;  tell 
the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye  well  her  bulwarks,  Ps.  4^:12.13. 
consider  her  palaces."  Then  return  home  re- 
freshed and  encouraged  to  take  up  in  the 
smaller  sphere  the  special  work  assigned  by 
God. 

One  of  the  encouraging  signs  of  the  times  is 
the  earnest  and  growing  desire  on  the  ^  longing 
part  of  many  Christians  to  realize  this  ^^^  ""'*y 

now  preva- 

unity  for  which  Christ  i^rayed.  The  lent. 
Holy  Spirit  is  moving  the  hearts  of  believers  to 
this  end.  Multitudes  of  God's  chosen  ones  are 
saying,  If  we  are  one  in  Christ  why  cannot  our 
oneness  be  made  real  to  ourselves  and  manifest 
to  the  world?  The  omen  is  propitious.  It  tells 
us  that  the  end  sought  is  already  secured  in  the 
hearts  of  not  a  few.  And  the  question  should 
seriously  engage  the  thought  and  the  prayer  of 
the  Christian  and  the  church,  how  can  the  fam- 
ily of  God  on  earth  become  one  in  heart  and 
in  spirit  as  it  is  one  in  fact — and  how  can  such 
oneness  be  made  to  appear  to  the  world? 


252  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Some  persons  would  answer  this  question  by 
Is  Christ  abolishing  sects.  This  is  a  pleasing 
divided  by      yisiou.     We  liave  read  with  approval 

sectarian- 
ism? that  pleasing  bit  of  prox3hetic  poetry 

entitled,  "  No  sect  in  heaven,"  and  have  dreamed 
of  a  return  to  the  facinating  simplicity  of  early 
days  when  there  were  no  Methodists,  no  Pres- 
byterians, no  Baptists — but  only  Christians. 
Yet  in  our  present  earthly  estate  we  are  subject 
to  some  limitations  of  the  flesh  which  our  heav- 
enly inheritance  will  remove,  and  the  spread  of 
Christianity  subjects  it  to  some  conditions 
which  did  not  exist  in  the  day  of  the  apostles. 
Can  we  abolish  Christian  denominations?  If 
so,  is  it  desirable  to  put  them  away?  They  are 
strongly  entrenched  in  the  habits  and  the  ajffec- 
tions  of  believers,  If  we  ask  whence  came  these 
divisions  the  answer  is  partly  from  differences 
in  doctrinal  belief,  partly  from  dissimilarity  in 
religious  taste.  Would  these  differences  and 
dissimilarities  vanish  if  the  outward  manifesta- 
tion of  them  were  suppressed?  Would  unity 
be  secured  by  calling  all  followers  of  Christ 
simply  Christians?  There  would  still  be  Chris- 
tians believing  that  immersion  is  the  only  Scrip- 
tural mode   of  baptism,   and   other   Christians 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  253 

holding  to  the  '  apostolic  suscession  of  their 
clergy,  and  other  Christians  maintaining  the 
possibility  of  falling  from  grace,  and  other 
Christians  advocating  the  independence  of  the 
local  church.  Is  Christ,  therefore,  divided? 
He  may  be  most  grievously  divided  when  all 
denominational  names  are  abolished,  when  all 
are  called  Christians,  and  each  one  maintains 
against  his  brother,  "  I  am  of  Christ."  Sects 
are  indispensable:  sectarianism  is  of  the  devil. 
It  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  all  be  under 
one  roof.  Were  there  not,  by  God's  own  ap- 
pointment, twelve  tribes  in  Israel  and  was  not 
Israel  one?  If  the  twelve  apostles  were  living 
to-day  would  they  all  be  in  one  church?  Chris- 
tians are  divided  only  in  appearance.  Their 
differences  are  superficial.  There  are  many 
battalions  but  one  army.  Denominations  are 
good;  it  is  denominationalism  that  is  bad.  De- 
nominations prevent  strife  by  affording  each 
man  an  opportunity  to  find  his  place  and  to 
abide  peacefully  in  it.  There  would  be  end- 
less strife  in  any  serious  attempt  to  force  all 
believers  into  one  religious  organization  with  a 
common  creed  and  an  appointed  form  of  wor- 
ship.    Why  not  believe  and  worship  after  our 


I  Cor.i:i2 


254  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

various  fashions  and  tastes?  Christianity  is 
wide  enough  to  take  us  all  in,  with  our  favorite 
polities  and  j)et  doctrines  included.  We  love 
one  another  all  the  same.  The  differences  which 
separate  are  trivial  and  temporal.  The  tie  that 
binds  is  mighty  and  eternal. 

It  is  said,  however,  that  the  true  unity  must 
Unit  of  ^®  such  that  it  may  be  manifest  to 
crganizatJon.  ^he  world.  If  the  churcli  were  visi- 
bly one  church  the  converting  power  of  such  a 
spectacle,  so  it  is  claimed,  would  be  great.  But 
it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  in  many  locali- 
ties multitudes  of  people  have  lived  under  just 
these  conditions  which  are  supposed  to  be  so 
favorable  to  the  spread  of  the  Gospel.  There 
have  been  numerous  communities  in  which  the 
13opulation  has  been  homogeneous,  undivided 
by  religious  differences,  practicfxlly  free  from  all 
adverse  influences  which  come  from  the  exist- 
ence of  sects.  There  has  been  but  one  church 
known  to  such  people.  Yet  we  do  not  find  that 
they  fly  as  doves  to  the  windows.  Experience 
does  not  support  the  expectation  that  the  world 
would  repent  if  the  church  w^ere  one  organiza- 
tion. There  would  remain  in  the  carnal  heart 
the  same  enmity  against  God  which  exists  now 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  255 

and  which  is  the  real  explanation  of  that  unbe- 
lief which  is  sometimes  defended  by  the  excuse 
of  a  divided  church.  A  vital,  spiritual  unity 
among  Christians  would  be  a  mighty  power  for 
the  world's  conversion;  but  a  formal,  spectacular 
uniformity  would  not  move  the  hearts  of  men. 

There  are  those  who  fondly  hope  to  promote 
unity  among  Christians  by  bringing  ^j^^^  ^^ 
them  all  into  agreement  with  some  doctrine. 
simple  statement  of  the  essential  truths  of  the 
Christian  faith.  "The  Apostles'  Creed"  is  often 
cited  as  a  platform  upon  which  all  believers 
could  stand  in  fraternal  sympathy.  It  is  argued 
that  a  large, part  of  church  creeds  consists  of  the 
theological  devices  of  men,  that  it  is  hay,  wood 
and  stubble  which  had  better  be  burned  and  the 
pure  gold  of  Gospel  truth  substituted  in  its  place. 
This  plan  would  still  allow  room  for  peculiarities 
of  individual  belief  but  would  not  justify 
schism  on  the  ground  of  such  peculiarities. 

To  some  minds  this  scheme  seems  feasible.  To 
others  it  appears  mechanical  and  impracticable. 
Various  questions  suggest  themselves.  Do  not 
our  churches  novr  enjoy  and  show  forth,  in  their 
agreement  upon  fundamentals,  all  the  real  unity 
that  might  be  secured  by   such  organic  union? 


256  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

Do  we  not  have  more  peace  while  cherishing 
our  respective  views  in  separate  groiij)s  than  we 
could  hope  to  have  if  compelled  to  live  as  one 
family  under  a  common  roof  ?  Who  is  to  deter- 
mine what  is  essential  truth  and  to  formulate 
our  simple  creed  ?  Would  not  new  sects  arise 
outside  the  one  church  and  thus  the  history  of 
denominations  repeat  itself  ?  Whatever  the 
statement  of  belief  might  be  would  it  not  seem 
to  some  sensitive  consciences  like  a  compromise, 
a  partial  surrender  of  vital  truth  ?  Charles 
James  Fox  said,  the  only  foundation  for  tolera- 
tion is  a  degree  of  skepticism.  If  the  Baptist, 
for  example,  is  to  unite  with  all  other  believers 
in  the  proposed  way  must  he  not  grant  that 
immersion,  while  essential  to  Christianity  for 
him,  may  not  be  so  for  others  ?  The  plan  seems 
to  be  based  upon  the  implied  uncertainty  of 
truth.  Its  method  looks  like  paring  down  the 
revelation  of  God  until  nothing  remains  to 
which  objection  can  be  made.  Is  it  not  better 
for  the  different  members  of  the  one  household 
to  unitedly  proclaim  the  common  Gospel  of  the 
Cross,  and  then  for  each  to  stand  for  that 
peculiar  feature  of  the  Gospel  which  seems  to 
be  neglected  by  the  others  ?     Then  in  the  spirit 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  257 

of  Christ  each  of  His  followers  could  say, 
whosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother,  and  sister, 
and  mother. 

It   is  not  necessary  that  all  believers  should 
think   alike.     That,   says   some   one, 
would  be  very  much  as   if  none   of  withdiver- 
them  thought  at  all.     The  grandeur  ^ha'n'''"^'' 
and  erlory  of  divine  truth  appear   in  monotonous 

^       -^  .  ^^  agreement. 

this,  that  they  are  beyond  the  con- 
ception of  any  class  of  Christians.  Nothing 
short  of  positive  unbelief  could  be  more  deplor- 
able than  stux^id  sameness  of  belief  due  to 
indifference.  We  shall  never  have  unity  of 
opinion  among  thinking  men.  In  politics,  in 
philosoi)hy,  in  business,  upon  all  great  questions 
whether  of  theory  or  of  practice,  the  best  minds 
have  reached  different  conclusions  and  will  do 
so  to  the  end  of  time.  Why  should  vv^e  expect 
uniformity  in  theology  alone  ?  Why  should  we 
desire  it  ?  The  manifest  fraternity  and  sym- 
pathy which  exists  among  brethren  of  different 
creeds  furnish  to  the  world  stronger  testimony 
to  the  divinity  of  our  religion  than  would  be 
afforded  by  universal  consent  to  a  common 
creed.      The  very  fact  that  Christians  differ  in 


Mat.  12:50. 


258  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

belief  makes  the  spectacle  of  their  unity  in  spirit 
more  effective.  As  when  warring  political 
parties  forget  their  contentions  in  face  of  a 
common  enemy  and  rallying  under  the  one  flag 
exhibit  the  unity  of  patriotism  which  makes 
them  all  one,  so  the  various  sects  of  Christen- 
dom stand  united  around  the  Cross  and  show  to 
the  world  that  all  are  one  in  Christ.  And  the 
world  is  more  moved  by  such  unity,  transcend- 
ing even  the  strong  convictions  of  theological 
opinion,  than  it  would  be  by  a  unity  which  had 
no  obstacles  to  overcome  in  the  belief  of  the 
participants.  Men  say,  there  must  be  something 
in  a  religion  which  causes  Baptists,  Presby- 
terians, Congregationalists,  Methodists,  while 
carrying  their  denominational  flags,  to  unite 
lovingly  under  the  banner  of  Christ. 

Nor  must  we  forget  that  each  denomination 
Denomina-  stands  for  somc  important  truth, 
against  a  The  Sovereignty  of  God  will  never  be 
Christian-  ^  neglected  doctrine  so  long  as  the 
ity.  Presbyterian     church     shall     stand. 

But  when  that  great  truth  threatened  to  lul] 
men  to  sleep  under  either  a  sense  of  their  se- 
curity if  Christians  or  of  their  inability  to  re- 
pent, God  raised  up  the  great  Methodist  church 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY         259 

to  stand  for  the  equally  important  doctrines  of 
free  grace  and  free  will.  S  o  while  the  one  church 
cries,  Work  out  your  own  salvation,  the  other 
maintains.  It  is  God  which  worketh  in  you,  and 
thus  the  proportion  of  faith  is  maintained. 
Denominations  have  arisen  because  certain  as- 
pects of  the  gospel  have  been  obscured.  If  sects 
were  abolished  certain  truths  might  be  neglected. 
The  whole  truth  will  emerge  from  all  the 
friendly  emulation.  It  is  the  office  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  guide  believers  into  all  truth. 
If  the  Baptists  are  right  we  shall  all  eventually 
be  Baptists.  If  Calvinism  is  the  whole  truth 
the  church  triumphant  will  be  Calvinistic.  If 
Episcopacy  is  the  narrow  way  all  believers  will 
somehow  be  brought  into  it.  Rather  let  us  say 
that  something  better  than  that  for  which  any 
man  or  denomination  has  stood  will  be  made 
known  to  the  church  and  that  then  He  who 
said,  "I  am  the  truth,"  will  in  all  things  have  the 
preeminence. 

We  ask  then.  What  is  the  true  unity  which 
we  want  and  how  is  it  to  be  secured?     It  is  the 
unity   of   life   in   Christ.     It   is   the  jhetrue 
unity  of  branches  which  abide  in  one  ""'ty. 
vine.     Unity  must  come  through  life  and  life  is 


260  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

grounded  in  Christian  adoption.  For  such 
unity  Christ  prayed.  In  a  single  sentence  He 
gave  the  secret  of  Christian  unity.     "'  Holy  Fa- 

john  17:11.  ther  keep  through  thine  own  name  those  whom 
thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one  as  we 
are."  The  Father  chooses  His  own  and  makes 
them  one  family  in  Christ.  Such  unity  is 
rooted  in  the  choice  by  God  of  His  redeemed 
ones.  It  is  neither  outward  organization  nor 
similarity  of  belief  that  unites  men,  but  sympa- 

^  thy  of  soul,  likeness  of  experience,  a  common 

life.  This  is  "  the  tie  that  binds."  Here  is  the 
sheet  let  down  from  heaven.  A  vivid  sense  of 
having  been  chosen  of  God  possessing  the 
the  hearts  of  Christ's  disciples  binds  them 
together.  Napoleon's  Old  Guard  owed  much 
of  their  espirit  de  coi'ps  to  the  consciousness 
that  they  were  picked  men.  Paul  was  fitted  to 
be  an  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  because  he  recog- 
nized in  every  man  elected  of  God  a  brother  in 
Christ.         Peter    beheld     strangers     scattered 

1  Pet  II 2  throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Cappadocia,  Asia, 
and  Bithynia,  and  yet  welcomed  them  as  breth- 
ren because  they  were  "  elect  according  to  the 
foreknowledge  of  God  the  Father."  The  author 
of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  as  if  thus  defin- 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  261 

iiig  the  ground  of  unity,  addresses  his  readers 
as   "  holy   brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly   Heb.  3:1. 
calling."     The  mention  of  God's  choice  of  men 
seems  to   suggest   to   the  inspired  writers  the 
thought   of    their    oneness.       Throughout    his 
epistles   this   sxDiritual  unity  is  the  thought  of 
Paul   in   his   exhortations.     Whether  he  urges 
the  Romans  to  "  be  of  the  same  mind  one  toward  Rom.  12:16. 
another,"   or  beseeches    the    Corinthians   that 
there  be  "  no  divisions  "   among  them,  or   en-  ^  ^°''-  ^•^°' 
treats  the  Ephesians  to  "  keep  the  unity  of  the  Eph.  4:3. 
spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace,"  or  expresses  the 
hope   that  the  Phillipians  will  "  stand  fast   in 
one  spirit,  with  one  mind  striving  together  for  the      ^ '  ^'^^' 
faith  of  the  gospeP' — wherever  the  apostle  yearns 
to  see  his  converts  truly  one  in  Christ,  the  con- 
text shows  that  he  is  not  thinking  of  a  uniformity 
which  comes  from  outward  observances  or  iden- 
tical  beliefs,   but  of  a  real   spiritual  oneness 
guaranteed  by  their  common  adoption  in  Christ. 
This  true  unity  may  be  fostered  and  strength- 
ened by  the  efforts  of  believers.     Their  chief 
duty  is  to  become  conscious  of  and 

Unity  prO" 

to  give  expression  to  a  unity   which  moted  by  ac- 
exists  by  the  will  of  God.  true  idea  of 

In  the  first  place,  the  root  idea  of  ^^^  ^^'''''^' 


Mat.  i6:i8. 


262  CBOSEN  OF  GOD 

the  church  may  be  recognized.  ''  Upon  this 
rock  I  will  build  my  church."  It  is  Christ's 
church,  not  man's.  The  jDOwer  that  is  building 
the  church  is  not  human  but  divine.  These 
facts  forbid  us  on  the  one  hand  to  create  artifi- 
cial boundaries  to  the  church,  and  on  the  other 
to  regard  the  prosperity  of  the  church  as  de- 
I^endent  upon  our  devices.   Our  part  is  largely  to 

Exod.i4:i3.  "  stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord." 
We  are  to  remember  that  God  is  making  up  the 
number   of   His    redeemed  family,  and  we  are 

♦  simply   to  recognize  each   one  who  is  brought 

into  that  family  and  to  love  him  as  a  brother  in 
Christ.  When  Christians  do  this  there  is  Chris- 
tian unity  whatever  may  be  the  denominations 
or  creeds  under  Vv^hich  believers  groui3  them- 
selves. A  man  born  again  in  Christ  comes  in- 
to new  relations  with  all  other  men  born  again 
in  Christ.  He  is  not  an  isolated  fragment  of  hu- 
manity but  a  member  of  a  spiritual  body  by  vir- 
tue of  God's  choice  of  him.  Christ  says  to  His 
disciples,  "Other  sheej)  I  have,  which  are  not  of 
this  fold :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall 
hear  my  voice;  and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and 
one  shepherd."  Canon  Westcott's  comment  on 
this  verse  is,  "  The  bond  of  fellowship  is  shown 


John  io:i6. 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  263 

to  lie  in  the  common  relation  to  our  Lord." 
The  church  is  the  whole  company  of  regenerate 
souls,  the  spiritual  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
Paul  recognizes  this  fact  when  he  says,  "  Unto 
the  church  of  God  which  is  at  Corinth."  Out- 
ward organization  is  of  little  moment  when  com- 
pared with  this  spiritual  oneness.  Christ  is  or- 
ganizing unity  among  His  discix3les  as  He  builds 
His  church.  One  here  and  another  there  He 
calls,  one  here  and  another  there  who  truly 
love  Him,  and  have  not  defiled  their  garments, 
a  church  within  a  church,  these  he  collects  and 
names  and  separates  and  by  His  own  i3ower 
makes  them  one.  They  have  only  to  rejoice  in 
the  unity  which  He  has  created.  Let  the  grace 
of  God  have  free  course  in  the  hearts  of  believ- 
ers, and  unity  is  established  without  effort  on 
their  i)art.  They  need  only  accept  what  God 
has  bestowed. 

The  sense  of  this  unity  may  be  stimulated  by 
the  meeting  of  believers  for  conference,  prayer 
and   fellowship.      Says  F.  B.  Meyer,   ^^..   ^^_ 
"The  e^reat  conventions  for  the  quick-   p»'essed 

*=  ^  through 

ening  of  spiritual  life   on  both  sides  fellowship. 

of  the  Atlantic  in  which  believers  meet  irre- 
spective of  name  or  sect  are  doing  an  incalcula- 


1  Cor.  1:2. 


264  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

ble  amount  of  good  in  breaking  down  the  old 
lines  of  doniarcation  and  making  real  our  spirit- 
ual oneness.  "  Church  congresses  cannot  create 
unity  but  they  may  express  it.  Conferences 
and  conventions  are  of  service  after  such  unity 
has  been  realized  in  the  spiritual  life  of  God's 
people.  They  may  serve  to  remove  miscon- 
ceptions and  to  banish  obstacles  to  the  full 
harmony  and  sympathy  of  the  various  branches 
of  the  church  of  Christ.  If  they  meet  to  dis- 
cuss their  differences  and  to  reduce  doctrine  to 
its  lowest  terms  they  will  come  to  grief.  If  they 
assemble  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  believers 
are  one  from  the  beginning  through  no  act  or 
effort  of  their  own,  but  because  the  seal  of 
God's  electing  grace  is  upon  them  all,  they  may 
adjourn  with  deepened  gratitude  to  their  com- 
mon Savior  and  a  new  love  for  one  another. 
Such  assemblies  as  those  of  the  Evangelical 
Alliance,  bringing  together  Christians  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  and  giving  expression  to 
their  common  faith  and  hope,  are  jDotent  agen- 
cies in  answering  the  prayer  of  Christ  that  all 
his  disciples  may  be  one.  On  a  smaller  scale 
the  fraternal  greetings  and  salutations  ex- 
changed between  conventions  of  churches,   the 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  265 

exchange  of  pulpits  by  ministers  of  different 
denominations,  and  all  interchange  of  courtesies 
among  branches  of  the  church,  are  adapted  to 
make  them  feel  that  they  are  no  longer  strangers 
and  foreigners  to  one  another,  but  fellow  cit- 
izens and  members  of  the  one  household  of 
God.  But  the  forcing  of  these  outward  mani- 
festations when  the  inner  unity  is  absent  will 
result  in  harm. 

Co-operation  in  the  work  of  God  on  earth,  if 
grounded  in  a  common  vital  union  t'nity  shown 
with  Christ,  will  promote  unity  among  i"/^^^^^^.^"^)! 
believers.  In  our  great  cities  many  work, 
churches  'of  different  names  unite  in  revival 
work  with  enthusiasm.  Denominational  differ- 
ences are  lost  sight  of  in  the  one  desire  to  save 
souls.  God  has  graciously  raised  uj)  a  band  of 
men  specially  gifted  to  do  the  work  of  evange- 
lists, and  as  they  go  from  place  to  place  they 
find  the  various  churches  quite  ready  to  join 
hands  at  the  Cross  of  Christ.  Such  meetings 
serve  at  once  to  express  the  affection  of  Chris- 
tians for  one  another  and  to  augment  it.  So, 
too,  such  a  gathering  as  the  London  Conference 
of  Missions,  at  which  Christians  of  every  name 
took  sweet  and  v/ise  counsel  over   the  advance- 


Eph.  2:19. 


266  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

ment  of  God's  kingdom  in  foreign  lands,  accom- 
i:)lished  much  in  the  way  of  building  together 
the  hearts  of  believers  in  Christian  love.  The 
association  together  of  local  churches  in  temper- 
ance work,  in  works  of  charity  and  benevolence, 
serve  the  same  end.  Co-operation  among  sev- 
eral churches  is  better  than  monopoly  of  the 
the  field  by  one  chiu'ch.  Too  much  has  been 
said  about  the  foolish  multiplication  of  churches. 
There  is  often  a  nearer  approach  to  Christian 
unity,  less  friction  and  discord,  where  several 
churches  of  different  names  exist,  than  would 
be  possible  if  an  attempt  were  made  to  form  a 
*'  union  church."  We  must  not  be  alarmed  by 
superficial  distinctions  nor  facinated  by  formal 
unities.  The  important  question  is  how  the 
Master's  work  can  best  be  done.  Co=operation 
is  the  answer — all  uniting  against  a  common  foe 
and  each  building  over  against  his  own  house. 

Christian  unity  will  be  fully  secured  when 
believers  abide  fully  in  Christ.  It  lies  within 
the  ijower  of  each  disciple  to  promote  such 
The  vine  and  Unity  by  Seeking  close  fellowship 
Jhebest^type  with  his  Lord.  A  Christian  minister 
of  unity.  YR^iy  do  mucli  to  make  all  believers 
one   without  going  outside  the  bounds   of  his 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  267 

own  parish.  By  nourishing  the  spiritual  life 
of  himself  and  his  church  he  does  more  for  the 
unity  of  believers  than  he  can  do  by  organizing 
conventions  and  by  devising  schemes.  Paul  says 
to  the  Ephesians,  "In  v/hom  ye  also  are  builded 
together  for  an  habitation  of  God  through  the  ^p''-  ^■^^• 
SiDirit."  This  is  the  true  unity,  that  which 
comes  about  through  spiritual  agencies.  Chris- 
tians are  to  be  builded  together  rather  than  to 
build  themselves  together.  This  building 
together  is  to  be  in  Christ,  a  common  personal 
relation  to  the  Lord.  The  work  of  building  is 
to  be  accomplished  by  the  Spirit;  man  is  not 
sufficient  for  these  things. 

For  we  must  recognize  the  arduousness  of  the 
undertaking.  It  is  immensely  difficult  to  build 
men  tosrether.     Statesmen  find  it  so, 

°  Not  easy  of 

teachers  find  it  so,  i)arents  find  it  so.  accomplish 
If  there  were  but  one  man  in  this 
country  the  science  of  government  would  be  ex- 
tremely simple.  The  solitary  inhabitant  would 
be  a  law  unto  himself.  But  when  it  is  required 
to  build  together  seventy  millions  of  people,  of 
differing  tastes,  opinions,  habits,  with  conflict- 
ing interests  and  ambitions,  into  one  compact, 
harmonious    organization,    into     a    body    that 


268  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

shall  be  in  reality  as  in  name  a  nation,  the  diffi- 
culty is  appalling.  It  is  comparatively  easy  to 
instruct  a  single  pupil.  To  build  together  fifty, 
a  hundred,  a  thousand  scholars  into  a  well 
ordered  school  or  college,  with  unity,  harmony, 
a  common  spirit — calls  for  ability  of  a  high 
order.  A  family — united,  the  members  mutu- 
ally helpful,  bound  together  by  common  aims 
and  sacrifices — does  it  not  demand  the  highest 
human  wisdom,  the  largest  patience,  to  secure 
such  a  household?  Yet  the  welfare  of  mankind 
depends  largely  upon  the  thoroughness  with 
which  people  are  builded  together.  And  when 
we  come  to  the  problem  of  building  men  to- 
gether religiously  the  difficulties  are  greatly 
multiplied.  Granted  that  God  can  convert  a 
soul.  Can  He  bring  that  soul  into  close  fellow- 
ship with  the  next  soul  converted,  and  the  next, 
and  the  next?  Admitted  that  men  may  be 
brought  to  live  to  the  glory  of  God  separately — 
can  they  be  made  to  glorify  Him  in  the  trying 
experiences  and  duties  of  a  spiritual  household? 
The  answer  is — Yes.  They  can  be  builded  to- 
gether in  Christ  through  the  Spirit.  They 
then  become  an  habitation  of  God.  Stones 
scattered  about  or  lying  in  heaps  however  fin- 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  269 

ished  and  polished  do  not  make  a  temple.  A 
great  mob  of  individuals  is  not  a  state.  A 
chance  assortment  of  children  is  not  a  family. 
A  mere  multitude  of  Christians  is  not  the  spirit- 
ual kingdom  of  Christ  on  earth.  It  is  the  di- 
vine purpose  not  only  to  convert  and  to  sanctify 
men  one  by  one  but  to  fit  them  together  and  to 
build  them  up  into  an  everlasting  temple  for 
the  indwelling  of  God. 

How  is  this  to  be  done?  Not  through  com- 
mon forms,  methods,  church  governments,  but 
through   the     Spirit.       Eepentance, 

'^  ^  ^  But  possible 

faith,  union  with  Christ,  growth  in  through  the 
grace — these  are  the  family  bonds  in 
the  household  of  G  od.  "  I  in  them,  and  thou  in 
me,  thai  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one."  john  17:23. 
The  great  organizing,  unifjang  power  is  Life. 
This  comes  from  Him  of  whom  it  is  written 
"  In  him  was  life."  The  Holy  Spirit  has  power 
to  overcome  even  the  immense  difficulties  which 
we  see  in  the  way,  and  to  build  believers  into  a 
harmonious  society  worthy  to  be  called  the 
Kingdom  of  God.  If  He  can  resist  the  obsta- 
cles which  resist  His  first  entrance  into  the 
human  heart,  if  He  can  bring  reluctant  sinners 
into  right  relations  with  Christ,  surely  He  can 


270  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

bring  sanctified  saints  into  right  relations  with 
one  another.  All  that  is  needed  to  make  the 
church  on  earth  one  church  is  spirituality. 
This  is  but  another  name  for  the  indwelling  of 
the  Spirit.  Therefore  all  Christians  should  aim 
to  let  the  Spirit  have  His  way  with  them,  to 
offer  no  hindrance  to  His  working,  to  pray  in- 
stantly for  His  blessing. 

The  expectation  of  unity  should  be  cherished 

by  both  the  individual   and  the   church.     The 

follower  of  Christ  is  not  chosen  that 

Responsibil- 
ity of  the        he  may  live  a  separate,  isolated  life. 

andoftiie  He  is  to  be  fitted  into  other  lives, 
church.  jj^   .g  ^^  ^^  builded  together   with 

other  Christians.  The  church  is  an  instrumen- 
tality ordained  of  God  to  organize  the  Christian 
family.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  Christian  to 
come  into  right  relations  with  other  Christians 
as  well  as  to  be  in  right  relations  with  Christ. 
No  one  is  to  be  absorbed  in  saving  his  own  soul. 
We  are  members  one  of  another.  To  be  fitted 
into  one's  place  may  be  attended  with  some 
friction  and  strain  and  possibly  breakage  of 
sharp  edges  and  corners.  This  calls  for  self= 
crucifixion,  humility,  i)atience.  These  are 
fruits  of  the  Spirit  and  only  by  yielding  to  the 


THE  BASIS  OF  CHRISTIAN  UNITY  271 

Spirit  can  the  believer  be  fitted  to  his  place. 
Each  church  should  be  a  unit  in  Christ  and 
then  all  churches  would  be  one.  If  by  a  spon- 
taneous impulse  all  the  churches  of  Christ 
would  cast  off  worldliness  and  penitently  return 
to  God  and  seek  a  fresh  baptism  of  the  Spirit 
they  would  draw  together  and  be  one  in  Christ. 
This  is  the  great  need  if  we  are  to  realize  unity 
among  Christians.  To  become  more  heavenly 
not  more  attractive  to  the  world,  to  gain  more 
spirituality  not  more  machinery,  to  seek  conse- 
cration rather  than  new  methods,  to  be  mani- 
festly holier  within  not  more  imposing  without, 
to  grow  miglity  in  spiritual  and  eternal  things 
not  rich  in  the  earthly  and  temporal — this  is 
the  vocation  of  the  church  of  Christ,  and  when 
this  is  attained  the  coveted  unity  will  be  ours. 


Chapter  XIX. 
A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE. 


Christianity  is  in  its  nature  a  missionary  religion, 
converting,  aggressive,  advancing,  encompassing  the 
world.  — Max  Muller. 

I  cared  not  where  or  how  I  lived,  or  what  hard- 
ships I  went  through  so  that  I  could  but  gain  souls  for 
Christ.  While  I  was  asleep  I  dreamed  of  these  things, 
and  when  awake  the  first  thing  I  thought  of  was  this 
great  work.  All  my  desire  was  for  their  conversion  and 
all  my  hope  was  in  God.  — David  Brainerd. 

The  foreign  missionary  idea  is  the  necessary  comple- 
tion of  the  Christian  life.  It  is  the  apex  to  which  all  the 
lines  of  the  pyramid  lead  up.  The  Christian  life  without 
it  is  an  incomplete,  mangled  thing.  — Phillips  Brooks. 

When  he  came  here  there  were  no  Christians;  when 
he  went  away  there  were  no  heathen. 
— Inscription  on  a  monument  to  John  Geddie  at  Aneityum, 

The  Word  of  God  makes  no  doubtful  testimony.  It 
acknowledges  that  men  hold  lords  many  and  gods  many, 
but  affirms  one  only  name  whereby  men  must  be  saved. 

— Arthur  T.  Pier  son. 

Many  of  the  conversions  effected  by  the  modern 
missions  of  the  Gospel  are  more  decisive  evidence  of  its 
abiding  supernatural  power  than  was  the  cure  of  the  life- 
long cripple  at  the  temple  gate,  or  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
of  Bethany.  It  was  a  far  greater  miracle  to  convert  the 
barbarous  Malagasy,  the  Tahitians,  the  Samoans,  the  San- 
tels,  the  Bechuanas,  the  cannibals  of  New  Guinea,  withiij 

278 


A   MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  27S 

fifty  years,  into  such  intelligent  and  godly  Christians  as 
we  know  them  to  be,  than  it  was  for  Peter  and  John  to 
straighten  the  lame  legs  and  feet  of  the  cripple  at  the 
beautiful  gate  of  the  temple.  — E.   White. 

The  starting  point  of  Christian  missions  is  the 
conversion  of  the  individual.     When 

Birth  of  the 

the  first  soul  is  saved,  the  kingdom  missionary 

of  heaven  is  at  hand.     No  sooner  is 

Andrew  numbered  among  the  disciples,  than  he   John  1:41. 

finds  his  own  brother  Simon  and  brings  him  to 

Jesus.     Thus  missions  begin. 

In  the  first  place,  the  chosen  one  feels  that 
what  is  so  good  for  himself  is  good  ,.  The 
for  all  men.     His  experience  is  fitted  fhareVhe 
to   be    universal.      The   kingdom   of  biessingr. 
God  is  within  him.     He  has  in  his  own   soul 
that  dominion  which  is  to  be  "  from  sea  even  zech.  9:10. 
to  sea,  and   from  the   river  even   to   the   ends 
of    the    earth.*'      The    Christian    is    a    micro- 
cosm.    On   the   limited   arena   of   his   life  has 
taken  place  that  battle  between  God  and  Satan 
which   is  waging   over   the  whole   earth.     The 
victory  achieved  in  his  case  is  the  prophecy  of 
the  millenium.     God  designs  to  do  for  a  great 
multitude  which  no  man  can  number  what  He 
has   already  done   for   the   individual   believer. 
This  the  devout  believer  soon  comes  to  perceive. 


Acts  26:29. 


274  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

He  begins  to  realize  that  in  his  own  humble  ex- 
perience he  has  the  key  to  the  method  and  the 
purpose  of  God's  work  of  grace  among  men 
Spiritually  he  is  an  abridged  history  of  the  sal- 
vation of  the  race.  This  brings  him  into  sym- 
pathy with  the  movement  of  God's  kingdom  in 
the  world.  It  is  the  very  movement  of  which 
he  is  conscious  in  his  own  inner  life,  the  move- 
ment of  human  redemption,  the  movement  to 
deliver  men  from  sin  and  to  exalt  them  to  holi- 
ness. His  prayer  is  that  his  experience  may 
become  universal,  that  all  men  may  be  as  he  is 
except  his  bonds.  Thus  the  most  zealous  sup- 
porters of  Christian  missions  will  be  those 
whose  experience  of  God's  saving  grace  has 
been  most  vivid  and  profound. 

Not  only  a  desire  to  share  this  blessing  with 
a.  Expecta-     an  unsavcd  world,  but  also  faith  in 

tlon  of  God'5    ,-  „         .      .  1  'n 

blessing  the  succcss  ot  missionary  work  will 
missionar  Spring  from  jDersoiial  experience  of 
labor.  God's  salvation.   The  Christian's  con- 

fidence in  the  power  of  the  Cross  to  redeem 
mankind  rests  upon  the  solid  rock  of  experi- 
ence. William  Jay,  v»dien  a  young  man,  called 
upon  John  Newton  and  mentioned  the  obsta- 
cles to  the  extension  of  the  Gospel  which  op- 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  276 

pressed  his  mind.  "  My  brother,"  replied  the 
venerable  clergyman,  "  I  have  never  doubted 
the  power  of  God  to  convert  the  heathen  world 
since  He  converted  me."  The  chosen  one  has 
this  same  faith.  Grace  has  saved  him.  Then 
it  will  save  others.  He  was  as  unworthy  as  they. 
They  need  the  same  deliverance  which  he  has 
enjoyed.  Such  was  the  confidence  in  which 
Paul  threw  himself  ui^on  the  Paganism  of  Asia 
Minor,  Greece  and  Rome.  His  philosophy  of 
religion  was  learned  on  the  road  to  Damascus. 
Hear  him  rehearse  the  story  of  his  conversion 
before  the  mob  at  Jerusalem,  and  in  the  pres- 
ence of  governors  and  kings.  Virtually  he  said, 
what  has  saved  me  w^ill  save  you.  His  faith 
was  great  because  his  knowledge  of  God's  sav- 
ing grace  was  experimental.  He  was  con- 
stantly telling  that  story.  Perhaps  there  was 
not  a  city  visited  that  did  not  hear  it.  And  this 
is  the  blessed  inheritance  of  every  true  disciple, 
the  knowledge  that  with  his  birth  God's  provi- 
dence began  to  open  the  way  to  his  heart,  and 
that  when  that  way  was  open  divine  grace  ad- 
vanced along  it,  and  took  him  a  willing  captive, 
so  that  he  stands  to=day  a  chosen  heir  of  God 
ordained  to  eternal  life.     Hence  his  confidence 


276  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

in  the  Gospel  for  the  redemption  of  all  nations. 
The  Lord  knoweth  them  that  are  His.  He 
knows  them  because  He  has  chosen  them.  He 
has  chosen  them  from  Asia,  Africa,  and  the 
Isles  of  the  Sea,  no  less  than  from  highly  civil- 
ized races.  No  one  shall  be  lost  of  those  whom 
He  has  given  to  Christ.  Here  one  shall  be 
taken  and  there  another,  till  the  number 
of  the  elect  shall  be  made  up.  Not  always 
from  the  most  likely  places  will  He  call 
His  beloved.  His  grace  has  a  long  arm.  As  of 
old  it  reached  over  the  idolatrous  Moab  and 
chose  Ruth,  and  out  into  despised  Syrophenecia 
and  selected  a  nameless  v>^oman,  and  overtook 
its  chosen  one  on  the  way  that  goeth  toward  the 
south,  Ethio^Dia,  often  passing  by  Israel,  but 
never  failing  in  its  purpose,  so  to=day  it  reaches 
round  the  globe,  making  the  last  first  and  the 
first  last,  but  never  missing  a  single  soul  on 
whom  the  seal  of  God  has  once  been  set. 

Out  of  the  believers    experience  comes  also 

his   sense   of  responsibility   for   preaching  the 

Gospel  to  every  creature.     If  at  first 

3.  stewards  .  . 

of  the  grace     he  fancies  that  liis  personal  salvation 

is  the  chief  end  of  his  adoption  he 

soon  comes,  under  the  lead  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  277 

to  see  that  God  saves  hiai  that  he  may  help  to 

save  his  fellow  men.     It  is  his  privilege  to  have 

a  part  in  that  work  for  which  Christ  laid  down 

his  life.     He  is  debtor  to  all  men  and  must  seek  Rom.i:i4 

out  his  creditors.      "  Ye   shall  be   witness  unto 

Acts  i:8. 

me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in 
Samaria  and  unto  the  uttermost  part  of  the 
earth."  The  chosen  one  will  quickly  come  to 
understand  his  Master's  plan  for  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world.  The  church  into  which  he 
comes  is  not  merely  a  society  for  pleasant 
fellowship  and  self  edification.  It  is  a  band  of 
witnessing  disciples  ordained  to  proclaim  saving 
grace  to  a  dying  world.  Bishop  Levering,  of 
the  Moravian  church,  when  asked  how  it  was 
that  the  members  of  that  church  contributed  so 
largely  to  missions  replied,  "  When  converts  join 
the  church  we  try  to  get  them  to  realize  that 
they  are  joining  a  great  missionary  society." 
A  selfish  religion  is  a  dead  religion.  A  religion 
which  does  not  go  out  to  seek  and  to  save  lacks 
the  essential  elements  of  gratitude  and  obedi- 
ence. Christ  died  for  me  and  asks  that  I  take  up 
my  cross  and  follow  Him  in  his  saving  work.  "  I 
gave  my  life  for  thee,  what  hast  thou  given  for 
me?  "  We  are  called  to  something  more  than  en- 


278  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

joyment  of  his  gifts.  We  are  called  to  service, 
to  self-sacrifice,  to  stewardship. 

Such  is  the  foundation  of  the  missionary 
idea  in  the  experience  of  God's  chosen  ones. 
Motives  and  "^^at  are  its  special  motives  and  in- 
inspirations.  spirations?  What  are  some  of  the 
facts  which  prompt  to  missionary  zeal  and 
activity? 

First,  this   is   a  lost  world.      The   Christian 

looking  back  at  himself  before  his  conversion 

knows  that  he  was  then  dead  in  tres- 

woridHeth     P^sscs    and  sins  without    God    and 

In  wicked-     without  hope.       He  knows   that    all 

ness. 

unrenewed  souls  are  in  this  condition. 
Forever  fronting  us  in  its  awful  reality  is  the 
fact  of  human  sin.  There  is  nothing  new  in 
this.  It  is  the  same  to-day  that  it  was  when 
Paul  wrote  the  first  chapter  to  the  Eomans. 
This  fact  we  must  lay  as  a  burden  upon  our 
hearts.  "  We  shall  never  evangelize  the  world 
if  we  think  the  world  is  only  in  a  swoon."  We 
dare  not  cut  from  our  Bible  those  passages 
which  teach  the  doom  of  unrepentant  sinners. 
We  cannot  venture  to  believe  the  words  of  Satan 
to  his  servants,  Ye  shall  not  surely  die.  In 
missionary  work  we  are  seeking  the  lost.     The 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  279 

heathen  world  is  a  lost  world — not  unfortunate 
merely,  not  miserable  chiefly,  but  guilty  and 
under  condemnation,  needing  not  improvement 
but  conversion.  A  missionary  beholding  multi- 
tudes prostrating  themselves  in  a  pagan  temple 
wrote,  "O,  how  my  heart  did  weep  over  them 
in  their  lost  and  ruined  state. "  Another, 
*'Had  I  ten  thousand  lives  I  would  gladly  give 
them  all  away  to  help  these  degraded  ones. " 
David  T.  Stoddard,  of  blessed  memory,  said, 
•■'Life  is  short  and  souls  around  are  pe^'ishing. 
Our  great  engrossing  business  ought  to  be  the 
salvation  of  these  dying  men. "  A  young  mis- 
sionary of  the  American  Board  was  asked, 
"What  led  you  to  be  a  missionary?"  "Bare 
figures  overwhelmed  me,"  he  replied.  "When 
I  read  that  there  were  856,000,000  heathen,  of 
whom  30,000  a  day  go  to  their  death  without 
Christ,  I  was  fairly  staggered  and  asked.  Do  I 
believe  it?"  Missions  were  born  of  this  spirit. 
This  is  "the  mind  that  was  in  Christ,"  and 
should  be  in  us. 

Secondly,  Christ  admits  no  rivals.  Religions 
are  many;  there  is  but  one  revelation.  ^„  ^j^^  ^^^^ 
The  heathen  are  not  saved  by  their  of  the  nations 

•^  are  idols. 

superstitions  and  idolatries  however 


Ps.  9:15. 


^80  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

sincere.  There  is  not  in  all  the  Bible  a  word 
favorable  to  the  gods  of  the  nations.  Nowhere 
does  the  Word  of  God  say  that  the  earth-born 
religion  of  any  heathen  is  better  than  no  relig- 
ion at  all.  Uninspired  men  say  that.  They 
even  say  that  heathen  religions  are  good  enough 
for  heathen.  That  is  not  a  Scriptural  idea. 
The  Bible  teaching  is  that  "the  heathen  are 
sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they  made."  An  ex- 
amination of  123  passages  in  which  the  heathen 
are  mentioned  discovers  not  a  single  favorable 
allusion  to  their  religious  belief,  condition  or 
prospects.  The  study  of  comparative  religions 
may  serve  a  purpose  with  the  missionary  who 
would  understand  the  religious  ideas  of  the  peo- 
ple whom  he  would  save.  But  a  "  Congress  of 
Religions "  does  more  harm  than  good.  What- 
ever it  may  be  in  theory,  practically  it  fosters 
the  fatal  error  that  the  religions  of  the  nations 
are  good  for  those  who  believe  them,  that  Bud- 
dhism is  as  good  for  the  Buddhist  as  Christian- 
ity for  the  Christian,  that  not  only  the  Gospel 
but  the  Koran  also  is  the  power  of  God  unto 
salvation.  The  subtle  poison  of  this  thought 
paralyzes  missionary  zeal.  It  is  a  sad  mistake, 
and  in  the  light  of  revelation  and  of  experience 


A  MISSIONARY  MOl'IVE  281 

a  sinful  mistake.  Christianity  is  universal  and 
exclusive.  It  brooks  no  rival.  "  There  is  none 
other."  The  Master's  own  words  are  "  all  the 
world."  We  go  to  the  ends  of  the  earth  with 
the  Gospel  of  the  Cross  on  our  lips  to  tell  all 
men,  not  that  we  have  a  religion  to  propose 
which  is  much  better  than  theirs,  but  that  we  have 
a  Savior  to  announce,  the  only  Savior,  their 
Savior  if  they  will  accej^t  Him,  and  that  who- 
soever believeth  on  Him  shall  not  ijerish  but 
shall  have  everlasting  life. 

Thirdly,  Religion  alone  can  save  men  from 
sin   and   prepare   them    for    heaven. 

The  power  of 

Some  trust  in  education  and  some  in  God  unto 

.    .,.       ..^  ,  .  „  ..  salvation. 

civilization  and  some  in  rerormation 
but  these  do  not  change  the  heart.  An  edu- 
cated, elegant  heathenism  is  in  some  respects 
more  hideous  and  more  hopeless  than  a  barbar- 
ous heathenism.  Lost  sinners  need  not  culture 
but  conversion,  not  mental  training  but  the  new 
birth,  not  the  sj^eller  and  the  arithmetic  but  the 
Law  and  the  Gospel.  Christians  should  feel 
this  fact  deeply.  They  know  that  it  was  the 
grace  of  the  Gosi)el  that  brought  salvation  to 
themselves.  All  their  accomi:>lishments  did  not 
reconcile   them   to  God.     We  cannot  save  the 


282  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

heathen  by  teaching  them  to  wear  broadcloth 
and  to  eat  with  a  fork  and  to  ride  on  the  limit- 
ed express.  No  more  can  we  redeem  them  by 
teaching  them  to  read  Homer  and  to  solve  quad- 
ratic equations.  Whatever  advantages  we  may 
provide  for  them — educational,  medical,  social, 
commercial,  political,  we  utterly  fail  to  set  up 
God's  kingdom  among  them  if  we  do  not  win 
their  hearts  to  the  love  of  Christ.  Kefinement 
is  not  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation.  Of  this 
fact  biography  is  full  of  illustrations.  In  such 
men  as  Napoleon,  Mirabeau,  Lord  Bacon,  Fox, 
Aaron  Burr,  Prof.  Webster,  the  highest  mental 
endowments  failed  to  restrain  the  lowest  animal 
passions.  These  cases  are  not  exceptional. 
Many  men  of  great  brains  have  been  men  of  bad 
hearts.  Why  should  it  not  be  so?  There  is 
nothing  in  external  polish  to  check  internal  de- 
cay. Buckle  says,  "Neither  the  individuals 
nor  the  ages  that  have  been  most  distinguished 
for  intellectual  achievements  have  been  distin- 
guished for  moral  excellences."  Tylor  in  his 
"Primitive  Culture"  calls  attention  to  the  fact 
that  savages  civilized  but  not  Christianized  lose 
old  virtues  and  gain  new  vices.  In  ancient 
Athens   and   Corinth,   centers  of  intellect  and 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  283 

culture,  the  lowest  vices  reached  a  development 
unknown  to  simple,  uncultured  Sparta.  The 
world  is  not  to  become  the  kingdom  of  our 
Lord  and  His  Christ  by  means  of  the  severe 
sciences  and  the  polite  arts.  Neither  is  the 
light  of  morality  sufficient  to  irradiate  the  dark 
places  of  the  earth.  Confucius  gave  to  China 
as  good  a  moral  code  as  human  wisdom  can  de- 
vise. For  three  thousand  years  China  has  had 
an  opportunity  to  show  what  power  of  salvation 
there  is  in  moral  teachings,  and  to  day  China  is 
the  rockiest  soil  for  the  seed  of  Christian  truth. 
The  ancient  Hebrews  sought  redemption 
through  the  Law  and  under  this  dispensation 
Israel  sank  first  into  indifference,  then  into 
idolatry,  and  finally  in  the  time  of  Christ  into 
formality  and  hypocrisy.  As  handmaids  of  re- 
ligion the  forces  of  civilization  have  their  place. 
To  use  our  Savior's  illustration  the  birds  of  the 
air  lodge  in  the  branches  of  the  tree.  But  so 
far  as  the  redemption  of  the  world  is  concerned 
we  might  illustrate  these  agencies — the  arts,  the 
moral  virtues,  education,  refinement  of  manners 
— by  that  caricature  preserved  in  the  museum 
at  Naples,  the  picture  of  a  butterfly  holding  the 
reins  ^Yhich  lie  on  the  back  of  a  dragon,  repre- 


284  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

senting  Seneca  as  he  tried  to  restrain  the  pas- 
sions of  Nero  by  philosophy.  In  his  mad  race 
to  eternal  death  man  is  not  to  be  held  back  by 
any  butterfly  civilization  which  ignores  Christ 
and  the  Cross.  May  God  save  His  church  from 
sending  to  the  heathen  an  attenuated  Gospel  or 
any  substitute  for  the  message  of  divine  love 
and  grace.  Bishop  Colenso  of  South  Africa 
once  tried  the  experiment.  He  maintained 
against  the  missionaries  that  what  the  Africans 
needed  first  was  the  humanizing  influence  of 
mental  and  ethical  training.  He  agreed  to  take 
a  number  of  young  men  and  thus  to  train  them 
for  three  years,  saying  nothing  to  them  of  re- 
ligion. At  the  end  of  the  term  he  told  them 
that  they  were  free  to  do  as  they  pleased,  and 
invited  them  to  go  on  with  him  unto  perfection. 
The  next  morning  they  had  all  disappeared, 
leaving  behind  their  books  and  even  the  clothes 
with  which  they  had  been  provided.  The  Bish- 
op went  to  the  missionaries,  acknowledged  his 
mistake,  and  gave  to  the  mission  fifty  pounds 
for  the  work  of  Christ. 

Finally,  the  proved  fitness  of  the  Gospel  of 
There  is  Christ  to  win  and  to  redeem  all  con- 
none  like  It.  jj^JQj^g  q£  j^gjj  refreshes  our  hope  and 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  286 

establishes  our  faith  in  the  speedy  coming  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  On  these  two  pillars 
Christianity  is  founded,  (a.)  It  is  the  only  salva- 
tion effectual  for  any  man.  (b.)  It  is  the  only 
salvation  adapted  to  all  men.  The  first  of  these 
proi3ositions  has  been  illustrated.  From  the 
day  of  Pentecost  until  now  the  second  has  ap- 
peared true.  Tell  of  Christ's  love  to  men  who 
dwell  among  Greenland's  icy  mountains  and 
their  hearts  will  respond  as  did  the  hearts  of 
disciples  on  the  shores  of  Galilee.  Preach 
Christ  and  Him  crucified  to  the  natives  of  hot 
Africa  and  Christian  graces  will  begin  to  adorn 
their  lives.  '  Paul  says  that  there  is  no  differ- 
ence in  men  for  that  all  have  sinned.  We  might 
also  say  that  there  is  no  difference  for  that  all 
may  live  in  Christ.  The  individual  Christian 
perceives  that  his  experience  is  fitted  to  be  uni- 
versal. Looking  at  the  goings  of  the  Spirit 
through  the  world  he  is  not  surprised  at  great 
results.  Already  the  morning  cometh.  Africa 
is  no  longer  the  Dark  Continent.  China  is 
planted  with  Christian  missions,  Japan's  ports 
sealed  for  centuries  now  welcome  the  Christian 
school,  the  Christian  press,  the  Christian 
church.     India,  Burmah,  Siam  know  the   story 


Rom.  3:22, 


Isa.  62:6,7. 


286  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

of  the  Cross,  the  islands  of  the  sea  own  the 
Gospel  sway,  even  Spain  admits  the  open  Bible, 
the  McCall  mission  in  France  "equals  for  glory 
the  shame  of  the  Huguenot  massacres,"  while  in 
Italy  the  cross  supplants  the  crucifix  and  justi- 
fication by  faith  is  proclamed  under  the  shadow 
of  the  Vatican. 

What  an  incentive  to  renewed  labor!  What 
a  stimulus  to  prayer!  '*Ye  that  are  the  Lord's 
remembrancers,  take  ye  no  rest,  and  give  him 
no  rest,  till  he  establish,  and  till  he  make  Jeru- 
salem a  praise  in  the  earth."  Mark  Hopkins 
used  to  say  that  we  must  wrestle  with  God  for 
missions  as  Jacob  wrestled  at  Peniel.  Prayer 
is  the  very  life^power  of  the  missionary  church. 
And  the  final  triumph  is  in  sight.  In  the  glow- 
ing words  of  Milton  we  may  salute  Christ  as 
King,  and  invoke  his  triumphant  return  to 
earth : 

"  Come,  O  thou  that  hast  the  seven  stars  in 
thy  right  hand.  Come  forth  out  of  thy  royal 
chamber,  O  Prince  of  all  the  kings  of  the  earth. 
Put  on  the  visible  robes  of  thy  imperial  majes- 
ty. Take  up  that  unlimited  sceptre  which  thy 
almighty  Father  hath  bequeathed  thee,  for  now 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  287 

the  voice  of  thy  bride  calls  thee,  and  all  things 

sigh  to  be  renewed." 

Christian  missions  call  for  the  highest  type 

of  piety   in   the   churches.     A   deep  The  mission- 
ary  spirit 

spiritual  life  is  required  to  sustain  a  betoi^ens 

......  .       .  ,       nearness  to 

steady  interest  m  missionary  work.  Christ. 
A  low  grade  of  Christian  experience  has  not  the 
vitality,  the  fervor  requisite  to  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature.  Missions  make  a 
larger  demand  upon  the  spiritual  nature  than 
any  other  form  of  Christian  labor.  To  care  for 
the  souls  of  multitudes  whom  we  have  never 
seen,  se^Darated  from  our  sympathy  by  habits 
and  customs  reiDugnant  to  our  taste  and  offens- 
ive to  our  intelligence — not  until  we  have  been 
partakers  of  the  sufferings  of  Christ  and  have 
shared  his  agony  for  the  souls  of  lost  men,  can 
we  enter  heartily  upon  the  great  and  glorious 
work  for  which  he  laid  down  his  life.  Here  is 
one  test  of  our  attainments.  The  missionary 
spirit  is  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ.  Only  as 
we  are  in  him  can  we  come  to  this  high  calling. 
And  missions  develop  the  highest  type  of  piety 
as  well  in  the  heart  that  loves  them  as  in  the 
life  that  is  actively  devoted  to  them.  No  Chris- 
tian can  give  himself  earnestly  to  the  mission- 


288  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

ary  cause — whether  he  goes  forth  like  Judson, 
and  Carey,  and  Moffat  to  sow  seed  on  foreign 
soil,  or  at  home  labors  and  prays  and  gives  of 
his  means  to  support  the  laborers— without  re- 
ceiving spiritual  blessing  in  his  own  soul  a  hun- 
dred fold.  If  we  wanted  a  revival  of  true  re- 
ligion in  a  lukewarm  church  we  should  be  sure 
of  it  if  we  could  secure  a  revival  of  missionary 
zeal.  In  missions  it  is  pre-eminently  true  that 
if  we  cast  our  bread  upon  the  waters  it  will  re- 
turn to  us  after  many  days. 

What  do  I  owe  to  this  work?  Certainly  the 
Personal  least  I  owc  is  cvcry  penny  I  can  give, 
the  chosen  not  after  I  have  satisfied  every  desire 
missions.  for  Self ^ gratification,  but  with  self- 
denial  and  cheerful  willingness. 

Do  I  owe  more?  Yes,  I  owe  my  sympathy, 
my  active  support,  my  prayers. 

Do  I  still  owe  more?  It  would  seem  that  in 
a  land  like  this,  overflowing  with  educated  and 
consecrated  young  people,  hearing  the  repeated 
and  pressing  calls  for  missionaries,  somebody 
owes  more.  Are  there  none  of  us  who  owe  our 
lives  to  this  work?  William  Carey,  sitting  at 
his  cobbler's  bench  making  shoes,  drew  upon  a 
piece  of  leather  a  map  of  the  world,  and  as  he 


A  MISSIONARY  MOTIVE  289 

pointed  to  this  map  and  his  finger  rested  on 
vast  areas  given  over  to  darkness,  he  said — 
These  are  pagan,  and  these  are  pagan,  and  these 
and  these, — then  he  locked  his  shop  and  went 
to  the  darkest  place  he  could  find  in  all  the 
world,  and  lo,  in  a  short  time  it  was  light  with 
the  radiant  lives  of  redeemed  men.  Is  there 
any  work  into  which  we  can  put  the  years  of 
life  where  they  will  count  more  for  Christ?  A 
prompt  service  is  doubly  acceptable  to  our  Mas- 
ter. Zinzendorf  said  to  a  Moravian  brother  at 
Hernhut,  "Can  you  go  as  a  missionary  to 
Greenland?"  "Yes."  "Can  you  go  tomor- 
row? "  "  If  the  cobbler  has  finished  my  shoes  I 
will  go  to-morrow?"  That  was  a  quick  re- 
sponse. Are  we  needed  at  home  where  there 
are  a  hundred  applicants  for  every  position 
more  than  in  the  mission  fields  where  the  la- 
borers are  few?  About  a  half  a  century  since  a 
young  man  went  to  the  missionary  rooms  in 
Boston  and  said,  "  If  there  is  any  place  on  the 
missionary  field  especially  difficult  and  solitary 
where  no  one  else  will  go,  send  me  to  that 
place."  He  was  sent  to  one  of  the  loneliest 
islands  of  Micronesia  where  he  labored  till  a 
few   years   since,  when   he   wrote,    "All   God's 


290  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

days  are  fragrant  with  blessings."  Christ  says 
to  certain  disciples,  "  Great  is  your  reward  in 
heaven."  Later  he  says,  "A  hundredfold  more 
in  this  world."  He  must  have  meant  this  spe- 
cially for  the  missionaries.  Let  the  church 
pray  for  a  fresh  baptism  of  missionary  consecra- 
tion upon  her  sons  and  daughters.  Let  parents 
dedicate  their  children  to  the  work  of  missions. 
Wesley  said,  "  If  I  had  three  hundred  men  who 
feared  nothing  but  God,  hated  nothing  but  sin, 
and  were  determined  to  know  nothing  save 
Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,  I  would  set  the 
world  on  fire."  It  is  fire  that  we  need,  burning 
hearts.  Then  when  the  call  comes  we  shall  at 
once  respond.  Here  am  I,  send  me. 


Chapter  XX. 
THE  HOPE  OF  HEAVEN. 


It  is  not,  that  we  are  going  to  inherit  heaven  as  a  great 
reward,  but  are  to  so  live  that  heaven  becomes  a  necessity. 
The  world  is  outgrown.  — Domer. 

Christians  never  say  farewell  for  the  last  time. 

— Christmas  Evans. 

It  appeared  to  me  that  winter  that  probably  when  we 
get  to  heaven,  our  views  and  joys  and  holy  exercises  will 
so  far  surpass  anything  that  we  have  ever  had  in  this  life, 
that  we  shall  hardly  be  able  to  recognize  the  fact  that  we 
had  any  religion  while  in  this  world.  — Finney. 

A  boy  runs  an  errand  for  me  and  I  give  him  two 
pence;  but  if  I  were  to  give  him  a  thousand  pounds  he 
would  not  believe  that  it  was  payment  for  his  service; 
he  would  feel  that  the  reward  was  far  above  anything  that 
he  had  earned,  and  he  would  conclude  that  I  must  have 
given  him  that  great  sum  of  money  out  of  pure  generosity. 
And  no  child  of  God,  however  much  he  has  served  his 
Lord,  ever  thinks  that  he  deserves  to  be  an  heir  of  heaven, 
a  priest  and  a  king,  to  live  forever  at  God's  right  hand  in 
untold  blessedness.  O,  no;  all  this  must  be  a  gift.  We 
could  not  have  earned  such  a  blessing  as  this.  — Sjnirgeon. 

When  I  enter  the  invisible  world  I  do  not  expect  to 
find  things  different  from  what  the  Word  of  God  repre- 
sented them  to  mo  here.  The  voice  I  shall  then  hear  will 
be  the  same  I  now  hear  upon  the  earth,  and  I  shall  say, 
This  is  indeed  what  God  said  to  me;  and  how  thankful  I 
am  that  I  did  not  wait  till  I  had  seen  in  order  to  believe. 

— Adolj^h  Monod. 

The  Christian  is  not  one  who  looks  up  from  earth  to 
heaven  bnt  one  who  looks  down  from  heaven  to  earth. 

— Lady  Poiverscourt. 
291 


292  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

It  was  Horace  Buslmell  who  was  stopped  on 
The  Bible  ^^^®  street  One  Monday  morning  by  a 
tells  us  friend   who   asked,    "  What   did  you 

much  *' 

concerning  preach  about  yesterday ? "  "I preached 
on  the  fact  that  we  know  more  about 
the  future  than  about  the  past."  His  theme 
had  been  Heaven  and  he  had  maintained  that 
God's  ¥/ord  reveals  much  concerning  the  future 
life.  Was  he  not  right?  It  is  sometimes  care- 
lessly said  that  there  is  a  dark  veil  before  the 
hereafter.  But  the  Scriptures  abound  in  pas- 
sages which  throw  open  the  pearly  gates  and 
disclose  the  life  of  the  heavenly  city.  God  does 
not  rebuff  our  reverent  desire  to  know  much 
concerning  heaven.  He  has  brought  life  and 
immortality  to  light  through  the  Gospel.  Most 
of  what  is  said  of  our  ignorance  of  the  future  is 
untrue.  By  the  aid  of  the  Bible  we  may  know 
far  more  concerning  the  home  of  the  redeemed 
than  the  astronomer  by  the  aid  of  the  telescope 
can  discover  concerning  the  starry  worlds  which 
shine  in  the  evening  sky. 

The  dwellers  in  heaven  are  God  and  His 
Heaven  a        chosen   ones.      Christ    is   there,   the 

place  of  ' 

congenial       Holy  Spirit,  and  the  blessed  angels. 

companion-       m  •       •  i  •  ah 

ships.  Inis  is  a  harmonious  company.     All 


THE  HOPE  OF  HEAVEN  293 

its  reaeemed  members  have  been  selected 
and  trained  with  a  view  to  spiritual  fellow- 
ship. Heaven  is  the  home  of  God's  elect 
family.  To  this  they  were  chosen.  Our  Savior 
prays,  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also,  whom  thou  John  17:24. 
hast  i?iven  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am,"     From  „ 

*^  Rev.  13:8. 

the  very  beginning  the  Father  has  been  gather- 
ing His  loved  ones  for  eternal  companionship     ^^  ^^ '^'*" 
with  Himself.      Three  things  were  done  from  Eph.  1:4. 
the  foundation  of  the  world     The   Lamb  was 
slain,  the  Kingdom  was  prepared,  and  the  elect 
were  chosen.     Everything  is  prearranged.     The 
Savior  said,  "  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you."  joh^  ,^.3 
He  prepared  the  place  for  the  disciple  and  the 
disciple   for  the  place.      The   earth   is  not  the 
Christian's  home.     His  citizenship  is  not  here. 
He  was  not  chosen  chiefly  for  a  spiritual  career 
in  the  flesh,  nor  for  the  religious  joys  of  time. 
His  real  inheritance  is  "  reserved  in  heaven,"  ^  ^^*'  ^'•^' 
and  for  this  inheritance  he  is   "  kept   by   the 
power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation  ready 
to  be  revealed  in  the  last  time."     This  is  the 
relation  of  adoption  to  immortality  in  Christ. 
God  is  making  up  His  heaven  by  graciously  call- 
ing and  redeeming  a  great  multitude  which  no 
man  can  number  from  all  lands  and  ages.    These 


Rev.  17:14. 


294  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

are  to  dwell  in  His  presence  and  to  behold  His 
glory  forever.  "  They  that  are  with  him  are 
called,  and  chosen,  and  faithful." 

Abraham  looked  for  a  city.    Wandering  shep- 
herds are  lonely.     A  city  is  a  center  of  fellow- 
ship.     Men   congregate  in  cities  because  men 
*  are   fond   of   society.      Social   inter- 

affections  course  is  pleasant  to  the  soul.  It  is 
Tl?J^^'T.  also  beneficial.     ''Ye  are  come  to  an 

Ileb.  12:22.     enlarged  and 

glorified  in      innumerable    company. "      How  the 

heaven. 

Word  accumulates  the  materials  for 
•  a  heavenly  society,   gathering   into   one    great 

throng  kindred  spirits.  Heaven  is  pre-eminen- 
tly a  social  state.  Isolation  and  solitude  belong 
to  sin  and  guilt.  Holiness  fosters  fellowship. 
Saints  sit  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob 
in  the  kingdom.  Friends  separated  for  a  brief 
moment  come  together  for  the  intimacies  of 
eternity.  On  earth  social  life  is  marred  by  sin. 
The  heavenly  society  is  at  once  holy  and 
complete.  No  sinful  beings  are  there.  No 
selfish  deed  greets  the  eye.  No  evil  word  jiains 
the  ear.  Not  an  unrighteous  thought  flits 
through  any  mind.  All  the  company  are 
animated  by  one  affection,  by  one  supreme 
devotion.     To  be  perfectly  holy  and  to  be  in  the 


THE  HOPE  OF  HE  A  VEN  296 

company  of  holy  beings  is  heaven.  Intimacy 
of  relation  will  prevail.  We  cannot  clearly  con- 
ceive what  relationship  can  be  closer  than  that 
of  husband  and  wife,  parent  and  child,  but  in 
heaven  there  will  be  more  loving  relationships 
than  these.  Character  furnishes  the  strongest 
basis  of  friendship.  The  sux^reme  relation  will 
be  that  between  the  redeemed  soul  and  God.  It 
will  be  heaven  to  see  Christ.  The  believer  will 
come  into  new  and  more  tender  intimacy  with 
his  Lord.  For  this  he  will  be  prepared  by  his 
union  with  Christ  on  earth.  ''  Whom  not  hav- 
ing seen  ye  love. "  The  chosen  one  knows 
Christ  better  than  he  knows  any  earthly  friend 
Evidently  then  the  believer  knows  much 
about  heaven.  And  largely  for  the  reason  that 
he  already  has  a  foretaste  of  it. 
Heaven  is  like  the  highest  spiritual  5"^^^* 
experiences  which   he   now    enioys.  "  heaven  be- 

^  ^    -^        gins  below." 

The  Word  tells   us   that  God  "hath 

made  us  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  coios.  1:12 

of  the  saints  in  light. "     It  is  not  that  we  "shall 

be  made  meet,*'  but  are  already  meet.     Heaven 

is   therefore   like   our  present  spiritual  life  but 

purified  and  exalted.     'The  Spirit  itself  beareth 

witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we  are  the  children  ^°i"-  ^•^6- 


296  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

of  God;  and  if  children,  then  heirs."  Heirs 
already!  Heirs  of  what?  Of  a  religious  life 
peculiar  to  this  earthly  existence?  Of  emotions 
and  affections  which  are  to  give  i^lace  to  some- 
thing altogether  different?  Not  at  all.  Heirs  of 
that  inheritance  into  which  the  saints  in  light 
have  already  entered.  It  is  ours  in  part  to-day. 
Eye  hath  not  seen  it  but  the  Spirit  has  already 
revealed  it.  ''This  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
John  17:3.  might  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  thou  hast  sent."  And  do  we  not 
now  know  God  and  Jesus  Christ?  Our  present 
fellowship  with  the  Savior  is  heaven  begun. 
Intimations  of  the  glory  which  awaits  us  come 
in  the  sweet  communings  with  Christ  which  are 
vouchsafed  to  all  his  chosen  ones  on  earth.  There 
is  one  Being  in  heaven  whom  the  redeemed  on 
earth  do  know.  We  may  be  strangers  to  angels 
and  arch-angels,  but  the  moment  we  enter  the 
pearly  gate  there  on  the  right  hand  of  God  is  our 
Christ,  the  dearest  friend  we  have  ever  known, 
and  in  whom  for  years  we  have  rejoiced  with 
joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

In  what  then  will  the  blessedness  of  heaven 
consist?    Let  the  Scriptures  tell  us. 

Our  Savior  in  one  passage  describes  heaven 


THE  HOPE  OF  HEAVEN  297 

as  "eternal  life"  "And  these  shall  go 

.     ,  1      ..  .1  ,      Meaning  of       Mat.  25:46. 

away  into    everlasting    punishment;  "etemai 
but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal."  ''***" 
And  in  another  passage  he  defines  life  eternal  as  ^°^"  "^  •^' 
the  knowledge  of  God  and  Jesus  Christ  whom 
He  has  sent.     With    this   agrees  the  vision  of 
John  in  which  he  sees  the  "new  heaven,"   and 
hears  the  great  voice  saying,  "Behold,  the  tab- 
ernacle of  God  is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  ^^^  ^^ 
with  them.  "     To  be  with  God  is  heaven. 

Heaven  is  rest — rest  from  labor,  rest  in  labor. 
"  There  remaineth  therefore  a  rest  to  the  people  1:5^^  40 
of  God. "     Rest   is  a  sweet  word  to  weary  souls 
amid  the  cares  and  burdens  of  life.     But   the 
rest  of  heaven  is  not  idleness.     "His  servants  ^^v  223 
shall  serve  him. "     They  "shall  serve   him  day     ^■'^' 
and  night  in  his  temple. "     In  such  service  they 
find  unutterable  and  endless  delight. 

Perfect  knowledge  will  satisfy  their  minds. 
A  great  student  of  the  Bible  once  said  that 
much  of  our  time  on  earth  should  be  spent  in 
preparing  questions  to  be  answered  in  heaven. 
Earthly  knowledge  "shall  vanish  away."  "Now  iCor.  13:12. 
I  know  in  part;  but  then  shall  I  know  even  as 
also  I  am  known.  "  All  doubts  and  misunder- 
standings will  be  put  to  flight.     The   capacity 


298  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

for  knowledge  will  be  enlarged.  Limitations  of 
the  mind  will  be  removed.  Man  will  no  longer 
be  "a  seeker  after  truth,"  but  in  God's  light  the 
redeemed  intelligence  will  rejoice  in  wondrous 
disclosures  of  divine  truth. 

Rev.  21:27.  ij^Y^Q  saved  soul  will  be  free  from  sin.  "There 
shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anything  that  de- 
fileth."  It  is  sin  which  makes  life  sad  and 
wretched.  Afflictions  could  be  borne  patiently 
but  the  sense  of  inborn  sin  breaks  the  heart. 
Christ  will  present  his  beloved  faultless  before 

jude  24.  the  presence  of  God's  glory.  "  To=morrow,"  said 
the  dying  duke  to  his  son,  "  you  will  be  a  duke 
— and  I  shall  be  a  king."  Kings  and  priests 
unto  God!  Holy  as  He  is  holy!  Hardly  can 
we  conceive  such  blessedness. 

If  we  ask  what  will  be   the   occupations  of 
heaven  the  Scriptures  do  not  refuse  an  answer. 
The  multitude  of  the  redeemed  are  busy  in  do- 
ins:  God's  will.     No   hio-her   felicity 

Theoccupa=  ^  . 

tions  of  can  we  imagine.  It  will  undoubtedly 
be  an  increasing  joy  to  the  heirs  of 
eternal  life.  Service  will  be  fitted  to  their  var- 
ious capacities,  for  there  will  be  "diversities  of 
gifts"  in  heaven.  Much  tribulation  comes  to 
men  on  earth  who  do  not  find  their  places.     In 


THE  HOPE  OF  HE  A  VEN  299 

another  world  every  talent  will  be  appointed  its 
fitting  work.  Strength  will  not  fail.  Much  of 
our  weariness  in  well  doing  comes  from  the 
weakness  of  our  frail  bodies.  "The  spirit  in-  Mat. 26:41. 
deed  is  willing,  but  the  flesh  is  weak."  Weari- 
ness comes  too  from  the  monotony  of  our  toil. 
Work  is  often  drudgery.  Sometimes  the  task  is 
distasteful.  Sometimes  failure  chills  our  zeal. 
In  heaven  we  shall  have  the  joy  of  uninterrupt- 
ed success.  By  the  grace  of  God  we  shall  do 
every  task  perfectly.  Each  power  will  have  its 
fair  opportunity,  and  powers  will  be  enlarged 
and  multiplied.  Peter  speaks  of  an  inheritance  ^  Pet,  1:4. 
that  "fadeth  not  away."  This  means  not  only 
that  it  continues  forever  but  that  it  always  re- 
tains its  original  attractiveness.  It  is  a  flower 
that  never  withers,  nor  loses  its  freshness  and 
bloom.  Such  will  be  the  occupation  of  heaven. 
It  will  never  lose  its  fascination.  Rather  will  it 
engage  the  enthusiasm  and  the  devotion  of  the 
redeemed  more  comjDletely  as  the  ages  roll  by. 
Its  variety  will  perhajps  be  one  of  its  consiDicu- 
ous  features.  We  shall  not  always  be  doing  the 
same  thing.  How  many  diversified  ministries 
a  city  presents  to  the  curious  eye.  We  can  but 
faintly  imagine  the  many  services  to  which  God 


300  CnoSEN  OF  GOD 

will  invite  us  in  the  heavenly  city.  Our  bliss 
will  be  enhanced  by  the  harmony  of  the  work- 
ers. We  shall  be  associated  with  God  and  an- 
gels and  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect  in 
united  labors  for  the  glory  of  God.  No  friction, 
no  competition,  no  clashing  of  interests,  no 
waste,  but  perfect  and  loving  fellowship  in  one 
service.  Divine  wisdom  will  preside  over  all. 
Every  act  will  be  infallibly  directed  to  benefi- 
cent ends.  We  shall  have  the  abiding  con- 
sciousness of  God's  oversight  and  hence  of  our 
usefulness.  And  to  crown  all,  the  smile  of 
God's  approval  upon  every  effort  and  His  "  well 
done"  rewarding  all  our  work. 

Heaven  is  in  no  sense  a  reward.  No  one  de- 
serves, no  one  receives  eternal  blessedness  as  a 
The  hope  of  Compensation  for  a  good  life.  But 
heaven  the  Christian  has  a  title  to  his  inher- 

founded  up, 

on  the  fact  of  Itance.  This  title  is  the  free,  gra- 
cious, unmerited  gift  of  God.  The 
believer  is  an  heir,  not  because  of  any  goodness 
in  himself,  but  because  of  his  union  with 
Christ.  His  title  to  heaven  is  therefore  as 
valid  and  as  strong  as  that  of  Christ  himself. 
On  this  account  the  Christian's  hope  is  "an 
anchor   to   the  soul.  "       It  is   not  because   he 


THE  HOPE  OF  HEAVEN  301 

has  done  anything  worthy  of  God's  favor.  It 
is  not  on  the  ground  that  this  life  has 
been  free  from  marked  wickedness.  It  is 
not  because  God  is  indulgent.  It  is  not  because 
all  sinners  will  sometime  and  somehow  be 
brought  into  the  kingdom  of  love.  It  is  because 
God,  for  reasons  which  the  Christian  cannot 
fathom,  chose  him  and  raised  him  up  and  loosed 
him  from  sin  and  gave  him  a  new^  heart  and 
made  him  a  son  forever.     It  is  all  of  grace. 

For    this   destiny  he  is  prepared.     Holiness 
fits  for  heaven.     What   is   holiness? 

Chosen  ones 
It   is  the  life  of  God   in    the    soul.      It    made  ready 

is  Christ's  righteousness  clothing  us 
like  a  robe.  It  is  loving  what  God  loves  and 
doing  His  will.  Without  holiness  no  man  Heb.  12:14. 
shall  see  the  Lord.  Heaven  would  not  be  con- 
genial to  an  unholy  spirit.  Only  character  can 
see  character.  Only  holiness  can  see  the  Holy 
one.  Behold  the  limitations  of  heaven.  Its 
blessedness  can  be  enjoyed  only  by  such  as 
have  been  prepared  for  it.  To  them  heaven  is 
not  a  reward  but  a  necessity.  There  must  be  a 
heaven,  for  those  who  have  entered  into  holi- 
ness on  earth  must  go  on  in  eternal  growth. 
And   the  joy  of  heaven  consists  not    in  being 


302  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

there  but  in  being  like  God.  Therefore  the 
important  question  is  not,  Can  we  get  into 
heaven?  as  a  vagrant  on  the  street  might  covet 
a  place  in  the  surj)liced  choir,  being  pleased  by 
the  dress  and  the  music,  but  Am  I  prepared  for 
heaven?  am  I  growing  in  that  grace  whereby 
I  may  enjoy  the  bliss  of  heaven,  if  ever  I  reach 
that  blessed  place  ? 

■  The  true  child  of  God  can  answer  these  ques- 
tions in  the  affirmative.  "  God  hath  made  us 
Coios.  i:i2.  ixieet  to  be  partakers  of  the  saints  in  light."  It 
is  an  accomplished  fact.  When  the  soul  turns 
to  Christ  and  is  born  anew  it  is  prepared  for 
heaven.  The  new  affection  changes  the  nature, 
God's  work  is  instantaneous.  "  To-day  shalt 
thou  be  with  me  in  paradise."  At  any  moment 
the  true  believer  is  fit  for  his  inheritance.  The 
root  of  the  matter  is  in  him.  He  has  life  eternal. 
God  may  not  call  him  home  at  once.  Discipline 
and  training  may  await  him,  to  the  end  that  an 
entrance  may  be  ministered  unto  him  abun- 
dantly. But  all  trial  is  the  seal  of  his  sonship 
and  is  designed  only  to  prepare  him  for  a 
brighter  crown,  a  closer  fellowship  in  the  world 
to  come. 

Yet   long   in   advance    intimations    of   what 


Lk.  23:43. 


THE  HOPE  OF  HEAVEN  303 

awaits  are  stirred  within  him.     His  „ 

PremonI" 

earthly    environment    aj^pears    more  tionsof 

coming 

and  more  inadequate.  He  notes  the  giory. 
incongruity  between  his  life  in  Christ  and  the 
spirit  of  the  world  in  which  he  tarries.  There 
is  a  painful  discord  between  his  inner  feeling 
and  the  temper  of  the  multitudes.  His  kingdom 
is  not  of  this  world.  There  is  a  positive  antag- 
onism between  the  place  in  wdiich  he  has  been 
put  and  the  nature  which  has  been  given  him. 
All  about  him  are  forces  and  factors  of  life 
which  hinder  spiritual  progress  and  he  asks  in 
dismay,  Is  this  vile  w^orld  a  friend  to  grace,  to 
bring  me  near  to  God?  Hungering  and  thirst- 
ing after  righteousness  he  is  mocked  by  the  evil 
passions  and  the  selfish  w^ickedness  of  a  world 
in  which  he  must  abide  and  with  which  he  must 
deal.  Let  the  w^orld  give  him  its  best;  he  is 
unsatisfied.  This  is  not  true  of  any  other  creat- 
ure than  man.  There  is  the  finest  adaptation, 
the  world  over,  of  bird,  beast,  fish,  insect  to  their 
dwelling  place.  Man  only  is  a  stranger  on  earth. 
Foxes  have  holes  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests.  The  mere  animal  is  at  home  in  this  ma- 
terial world.  Here  is  its  rest,  its  abiding  place. 
Man  has  not  where  to  lay  his  head.     The  more 


S04  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

he  seeks  to  fnllil  his  destiny  the  less  satisfaction 
can  he  find  in  things  visible  and  temporal.  "  To 
Newton  and  to  Newton's  dog  Diamond  what  a 
different  universe."  Longing  for  holiness  the 
believer  finds  himself  in  a  sphere  in  which  holi- 
ness is  reviled  while  sin  is  pox)ular  and  xjleasant. 
Is  it  strange  if  the  chosen  one  looks  for  the  city 
which  hath  foundations?  "What  kind  of  a 
world  is  this,  the  modern  Abraham  exclaims, 
"  in  which  I  am  placed  to  attain  goodness  and 
which  yet  makes  war  upon  goodness,  a  world 
teeming  with  evil  ambitions,  reeking  with  sen- 
suality and  unbelief,  where  the  noblest  aspira- 
tions are  mocked,  where  all  things  habitually 
withstand  my  every  effort  to  walk  with  God?" 
This  incongruity  between  the  world  and  his  new 
nature  fortifies  in  the  believer's  heart  the  hope 
of  heaven.  The  contradictions  of  life  confirm 
his  confidence  that  at  the  end  of  this  sojourn  in 
tabernacles  there  is  a  city  wherein  the  chosen 
family  of  God  shall  forever  abide  and  attain 
their  true  destiny. 

Is  it  said  that  the  Christian  is  called  to  active 
An  incent-  service  in  the  present  world  and  not  to 
gence*^in  well  ^^I'^^^^^^y  and  dissatisfied  cravings  for  a 
doing.  change?   But  those  who  most  ardently 


THE  HOPE  OF  HEA  VEN  305 

look  for  the  heavenly  rest  are  those  who  are  most 
active  in  Christian  service.    They  most  fully  real- 
ize the  incompleteness  and  the  insufficiency  of 
this  earthly  existence.     Abraham  and  Paul  may 
be  cited  as  two  of  the  most  active  and  faithful 
servants  of  God  in  the  calendar  of  saints.    They 
filled  their  earthly  spheres  full.     They  were  not 
dreamy  mystics  but  men  of  affairs,  devoted  to 
the  duty  of  the  hour,  and  most  useful  men  in 
their  day     and    generation.     What     was     the 
issue?    Abraham  "looked  for  a  city  which  hath 
foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God."   ^^«b.  ii:io. 
Paul  was  "  in  a  strait  betwixt  two,  having  a  de-  Phu.  1:23. 
sire  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ;   which  is 
far  better."     The   believers  who  live  the  ideal 
Christian    life   on    earth   are   those   who   most 
eagerly   look  forward   to  the  complete  joys   of 
heaven.     This  is  inevitable.    Worldliness  makes 
the  soul  satisfied  with  present  enjoyments.   The 
careless  Christian  will  not  be  pressed  with  un- 
satisfied  longings.     But   the    good    soldier    of 
Jesus  Christ  will  feel  a  holy  discontent  resem- 
bling that  which  Christ  felt  when  he  prayed  to 
be  restored   to   the   glory  of   the  Father.     We 
may  look  forward  with  great  longings  to   the 


306  CHOSEN  OF  GOD 

spiritual  life  of  heaven,  v/hen  we  shall  be  able 
to  i:>raise  God  worthily,  when  holiness  will  be 
perfected  in  our  nature,  when  we  shall  see 
Christ  and  be  like  him  and  know  as  we  are 
known. 


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